NEW YORK — Anthony Volpe had barely unpacked in Scranton when his phone rang.
Aaron Judge called Sunday night, the same day the Yankees optioned Volpe to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The two talked for 30 to 40 minutes. The captain told the shortstop he was a big piece of what the Yankees were building. Then, on Monday, manager Aaron Boone said something that shifted the story.
He left open the possibility that Volpe might not just be playing shortstop in Triple-A. He may be asked to try somewhere new entirely.
Judge made the call, and what he said matters
The demotion was a surprise. Judge said so himself when asked about it after Monday’s 12-1 win over the Orioles. He also acknowledged why it happened: Jose Caballero had given the Yankees no reason to move him.
Judge was asked directly how he felt about Volpe being sent down. His answer described a situation that was painful but understandable, and he made clear the Yankees still believe in Volpe’s future.
“That was tough. Anthony’s my guy. I know he’s going to be more motivated than ever to come back here,” he said. “…Anthony is a big piece of what we’re doing here, for us moving forward. We got to the World Series with him as our shortstop. He had some big moments in the World Series, in that playoff run. So I’m excited to see him come back here.”
“It’s tough. It’s a surprise,” Judge added. “Caballero’s playing well, so it’s kind of tough to move things around. But I know he’s going to be more motivated than ever to come back here. Anthony’s a big piece of what we’re doing here moving forward.”
Judge called Volpe within hours of the option being announced. The conversation lasted 30 to 40 minutes. For a player who had just been told he no longer had a spot on a 24-11 Yankees roster, that kind of direct outreach from the team’s captain carries real weight.
Boone leaves the positional door open
Anthony Volpe began his Triple-A stint Tuesday as the starting shortstop at Scranton. That much was certain. What comes next is not.
Boone was asked Monday whether the Yankees planned to have Volpe work at other defensive positions during his time in the minors. A narrow answer would have closed the door. Boone did not give a narrow answer.
“We’ll see,” Boone said. “Right now, he’s going to play shortstop. If we have those conversations as the days unfold, we’ll have those. But not right now.”
That was more open than what Boone said Sunday, when Caballero’s performance was cited as the primary reason Volpe did not get his shortstop job back automatically after his shoulder rehab. The slight shift in language suggests the Yankees are at least thinking about how to maximize Volpe’s utility while he rebuilds.
Volpe started 455 of the Yankees’ 486 games at shortstop from 2023 through 2025. His value to the organization has always been tied to that position. A move to another spot would represent a significant reimagining of his role.
The Lombard factor: two shortstops, one roster spot
There is a deeper complication driving these conversations.
George Lombard Jr., the Yankees’ top prospect and a natural shortstop, was recently promoted to Triple-A Scranton from Double-A Somerset. He is now on the same roster as Volpe. Both play the same position. Both project at the big league level. The Yankees need to figure out how to develop them simultaneously without putting them in direct competition for a single spot.
Boone explained how the Yankees intend to handle Lombard’s positioning in Triple-A. The answer pointed toward versatility rather than displacement.
“George, like he’s done a lot, will bounce around,” Boone said. “We’ll keep revisiting this as we move through it. But George has already had a lot of experience playing third, second, short, all very well. It won’t be anything too different for George.”
Lombard has mixed in third base and second base work alongside shortstop at various levels. The Yankees appear comfortable asking him to expand that range. But Boone did not rule out similar conversations with Volpe.
The road back runs through versatility
The clearest path for Volpe to return to the Yankees this season runs through one of two scenarios. Either Caballero slumps or gets hurt, or Volpe becomes valuable enough in a different role to justify a roster spot independent of the shortstop position.
Boone’s comments pointed toward the second option being at least under consideration. A Volpe who can play third base or second base alongside Caballero at short would give the Yankees more flexibility than a Volpe who plays only one position.
That evolution would not be simple. Volpe has almost exclusively played shortstop in professional baseball. A positional change mid-career, while working to rebuild his bat, would add another layer to an already difficult assignment.
But Judge’s phone call and Boone’s careful wording on Monday both suggested the Yankees are not treating this as a closed case. They see a future for Volpe in the Bronx. They just have not settled on exactly what shape it takes.
For now, Volpe plays short in Scranton. And the conversations Boone referenced have not yet started in any formal way. But the door is open. That is more than it was 48 hours ago.
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