Anthony Volpe was hit to start the bottom of Saturday’s innings, marking 25 at-bats without a hit. It seemed like it could be another rough day for the shortstop. However, he managed to change that narrative, slowly gaining some traction with a roller that broke through three baselines.
He launched a home run, sending the ball just inside the right field foul pole in the fifth inning, and followed it up with a flare single to right center in the sixth, which helped score another run.
Volpe’s first three-hit game in almost a month was a much-needed boost for the Yankees. This came after manager Aaron Boone remarked that Volpe’s swing decisions had been lacking, and his timing was off.
“It’s always about timing,” Volpe mentioned. He emphasized that trusting yourself is key to his approach.
Regardless of his strategy, it was hard for the Yankees not to feel excited about Volpe as he finally broke out of his long streak. “I’ve been trying to hit that ball in a few games,” he said, referring to the week’s toughest hit with a 101 mph drive.
This is the kind of performance the Yankees have been looking for from Volpe. He’s shown a knack for hitting well across the field throughout his career, but sometimes he gets into a funk, often when he tries to over-attack or ground balls to the left.
That wasn’t the case on Saturday.
“I think he was a bit lucky with some of those hits. But the home run was outstanding—great at-bat,” Boone commented. He noted the importance of positioning and how it can help settle the player down.
Volpe continued to showcase that he’s capable of meeting the high expectations set for him. Boone added, “He did a good job of slowing down his at-bats and making sure he was on time. I hope it’s one of those days where he can keep going.”
Volpe’s resurgence came just after Boone had discussed giving DJ LeMahieu a day off against Baltimore’s right-hander, Dean Kremer.
Following his three-hit performance, Boone indicated, “We’ll see.” Yet Volpe noted that the manager mentioned later that he might be out of the lineup amidst a 16-game stretch with no breaks.
With Volpe getting back in the hit column, it certainly feels like a timely day for him to rest in the near future.
