Anthony Volpe has been in a slump, turning his breakout season into statistical mediocrity.
He also has his customary place in the batting order, but his status as a leadoff hitter seems to be fading.
Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the No. 1 spot in the lineup is “in flux” before the Yankees’ 3-2 loss to the Reds in the Bronx on Wednesday.
Volpe earned himself the leadoff spot on April 10th thanks to his strong performance over the first few weeks of the season, and has held the position ever since.
The right-handed hitter led off a right-handed lineup (featuring J.D. Davis and Jamai Jones) against left-handed pitcher Andrew Abbott and may have snapped a 0-for-18 slump with a two-run double in the seventh inning.
But after a night where he was just 1-for-5 at-bats, Volpe’s OPS dipped to .694 and his on-base percentage dropped to .310.
“That’s out of my control,” Volpe said of continuing to bat leadoff. “Wherever Boonie and the guys put me, I’m going to do my best.”
The lineup will be very different when they face right-hander Frankie Montas in a Thursday afternoon game, and leadoff hitter Volpe may not play. After a strong start, Volpe has had a long slump that’s been exacerbated by the efforts of the two hitters behind him.
Boone wants his leadoff hitter to get on base and score often, setting the stage for two superstars in Juan Soto (.437 OBP) and Aaron Judge (.438 OBP), who entered the game as the best on-base machines in baseball.
Volpe batted just .242 through his first 76 games in the top batting order.
“Hopefully this is a week or 10 days of down time,” Boone said of Volpe, who hit into a double play in the ninth inning. “Hopefully in two weeks he’s on his feet and his numbers are up. That’s kind of the ups and downs of the season.”
“He’s still a very young guy and he’s still trying to figure out who he is as a hitter. … But it’s something I’m keeping an eye on and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
If not Volpe, then who?
With the Yankees’ struggling lineup, manager Boone doesn’t like the idea of moving Soto up to leadoff and having Judge bat at second base.
Left-handed hitter Ben Rice, who has shown a good feel for the strike zone and the ability to put in quality at-bats, could be promoted to the No. 1 spot as a junior player.
The 25-year-old, who came in as a pinch hitter and drew a walk on Wednesday, is batting .378 with three doubles through his first 14 major league games.
Other than rice there are few options.
DJ LeMahieu has barely played in the past month since returning from the injured list, leaving Alex Verdugo another hole in the lineup.
Perhaps Gleyber Torres, who began the year as a bellwether for Soto and Judge, can re-emerge.
Torres’ bat was largely silent for the first three months of the season.
He went 0-for-4 after going 7-for-17 over his previous four games.
“He’s a really talented hitter,” Boone said of Torres. “He’s making the best swing decisions of his career, but he’s missing some of the pitches that have been his strengths.” [with] in his career.”
Since his ranking, Volpe’s performance has plummeted.
The 23-year-old appeared as the fifth, sixth or seventh batter in the first 11 games of the season, batting .375 with a .444 on-base percentage and showcasing an improved swing that can hit in all directions.
Playing in the middle or tail of the lineup, Volpe walked five times and struck out nine, consistently getting long at-bats to take advantage of his position in the order. With Volpe on base as the seventh batter, opposing pitchers had to deal with, say, Jose Trevino.
Volpe, who is ranked No. 1, doesn’t have the same luxury.
Opposing teams are fearful of the hitters up front, so there are more and more cases of the leadoff batters getting strikes.
“He can attack the strike zone, especially early in the count,” Boone said of Volpe, who leads the major leagues in at-bats. “Obviously, with what happens next, you don’t want to get him behind and you don’t want to let him get on base. I think teams are going to be aggressive with him in the strike zone.”
