BALTIMORE — The last time Anthony Volpe regularly played a position other than shortstop, he shared an infield with a future MVP candidate.
“When Bobby Witt Jr. was my shortstop, I played second base,” Volpe, recalled to the majors earlier in the day, said after the Yankees beat the Orioles, 6-2, on Tuesday.
Volpe was referring to his and the Royals superstar’s time as teenaged teammates on Team USA. With Witt a year older, Volpe handled second, while CJ Abrams — another future big league shortstop — manned center.
Volpe mentioned Witt because the subject of him playing other positions has come up ever since the Yankees optioned him to Triple-A on May 3 following a rehab assignment for shoulder surgery. While the Bombers have yet to broach the subject with Volpe, working at other spots — especially second base — could benefit the team and the player with José Caballero expected to resume starting shortstop duties once he’s back from a broken middle finger; Jazz Chisholm Jr. headed for free agency; and top prospect George Lombard Jr., a shortstop, waiting in the wings.
It is something Volpe is willing to do if asked.
“I’ll do anything for these guys on this team,” the 25-year-old, who played some second and third at the very beginning of his pro career, told the Daily News. “If they came to me — we’ll see if they do — I think they know that I’ll do anything.”
Asked if the Yankees could consider making Volpe, their starting shortstop the past three seasons, more versatile, Aaron Boone said those conversations haven’t happened yet.
“He’s coming up here right now to play shortstop,” the manager said, “so we’ll see as we move forward.”
As Boone mentioned, Volpe is expected to play “a lot” of shortstop, at least until Caballero comes back. But the club is hopeful that Caballero won’t be on the injured list for long, and he went as far as to say he won’t spend more than the minimum 10 days on the shelf.
“Ten days, that’s the max I’m taking,” said Caballero, who won’t hit or throw for 5-7 days but can bend his finger and was only wearing a compression bandage.
With Caballero playing well on both sides of the ball and wreaking havoc on the bases, Boone said the plan is for the speedster to resume starting shortstop duties whenever he returns.
“I mean, he’s played as well as anyone out there,” the manager said. “So yeah, that would be my expectation.”
But the Yankees initially planned on Volpe reclaiming his job before Caballero caught fire. It’s certainly possible that the Yankees could pivot again if Volpe forces their hand.
However, he’s trying to take things one step at a time now that he’s back in the majors.
“If I learned anything out of all this, it’s there’s things I can control and things I can’t,” said Volpe, who didn’t make it to Baltimore in time to start on Tuesday. “We got a game tomorrow, and that’s what I’m focused on. Throughout this whole thing, it’s been day-to-day, how I could get better, how I can improve, and that’s all I’m focused on.”
As for how it felt to be optioned, Volpe said, “I just had to take it, go to work, and work to get back here. I didn’t know how long or how short, or whatever, but I just wanted to get to work.”
Volpe, a below league-average hitter over his three MLB seasons and a poor defender while playing through a torn labrum last season, hasn’t performed well since his rehab assignment began. He had a .570 OPS over 18 minor league games split between Double-A and Triple-A, and he made a few mistakes in the field and on the bases after the Yankees optioned him.
He said that he’s felt “great” at the plate, though, and that “the stuff that I’m trying to do and I’m working on feels healthy, and it feels good to go.”
He’s hoping that with some strong play, he’ll stick in the majors, though it’s unclear what the Yankees will do roster-wise once Caballero is healthy.
“It sucks,” Volpe said of being away from the team. “I’d like to think I worked really hard so I don’t ever put myself in that position again, but I got back here, and I’m excited to go.”
Volpe mentioned that it helped to hear from teammates while he was in minor league purgatory.
Aaron Judge spent 30-40 minutes on the phone with him after he was optioned, and Chisholm checked in amidst his own struggles. Volpe was also able to lean on the always-upbeat Oswaldo Cabrera, another experienced big leaguer stuck at Triple-A.
“That meant the world, honestly, because we’ve went to war together for a good amount of time,” Volpe said. “We’ve been through a lot. So for them to kind of just make sure I’m good, make sure I’m still working and make me feel like I’m part of it, even when I wasn’t, meant a lot.”
The way Chisholm put it, reaching out was the least he could do for a peer who “played a whole season injured” and was “sticking his butt out there for the team” in 2025.
“He could have easily sat down a whole year last year to get his shoulder right, but he went out there and stuck it out for us and we made the playoffs,” Chisholm continued. “He was the starting shortstop last year of a playoff team. For the last two years.
“It’s been tough being hurt and trying to come back from what he’s going through, but he’s built for this, and we both think he’s going to be great.”
If that ends up being true, the Yankees will have a good problem on their hands.
“I’m ready to get going,” Volpe said, insisting that he’s more motivated than ever. “This is my start [of the season]. It took a lot to get back here, so now that I’m here, I’m ready to go.”
