Anthony Volpe looked like the player the Yankees have been waiting for on Sunday, and then the game slipped away anyway. In his fourth game of the season after offseason shoulder surgery, Volpe went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, a double and two walks in the Yankees’ 7-6 loss to the Mets at Citi Field.
He opened with a 104.5 mph double to the gap off Freddy Peralta in the second inning for his first hit of the season, then delivered the swing that changed the inning in the sixth. With the bases loaded and the game tied 1-1, Volpe lined a two-run single off Sean Manaea to put the Yankees ahead 3-1. He kept pressure on the Mets from there, drawing a bases-loaded walk in the seventh and another walk on a 3-2 pitch from Devin Williams in the 10th. By the end of the day, he had reached base in nine of 13 plate appearances in the Subway Series and finished 2-for-6 with seven walks.
The performance came at a useful moment for the Yankees, because Volpe had already lost his starting shortstop job to José Caballero before Sunday. Caballero is expected to miss the minimum 10 days on the injured list with a fracture in his right middle finger, and Aaron Boone has said he expects Caballero to get the job back when he returns. For one afternoon, though, Volpe gave the club a reminder of why it has trusted him in the past.
Aaron Judge did not hide how much the game mattered to him. “Incredible: That’s the guy we know,” Judge said. “That’s why he’s been our shortstop for the last couple seasons, is when we need him in a big spot, he comes up big for us.” Judge said Volpe “made some good plays, had some big swings for us, took his walks when he needed to in some tough situations,” and added, “I was definitely encouraged by what I saw today.”
Volpe sounded more restrained, but no less focused, after a day that hinted at rhythm returning. “I’m just trying to stay within myself, stay within my approach and put good swings on good pitches,” he said. “Every day, that’s what I can control.” He added, “Just trying to do my job and contribute in any way I can,” and said, “I got some good pitches to hit and put some good swings on them.”
Even that wasn’t enough to change the result. The Yankees led 5-1 and 6-3 before the bullpen let it get away, and the Mets won it on Carson Benge’s walk-off chopper over the mound in the bottom of the 10th. Volpe collided with Max Schuemann as both chased the play, a final hard edge to a day that began with promise and ended with another loss.
What Sunday did show is that the bat may be waking up at the same time the Yankees may need a shortstop again. If Volpe keeps producing like this, the decision waiting for the club when Caballero returns becomes harder than it looked before the first pitch.
