Anthony Volpe has returned to the Yankees after playing in the minors, but he is already encountering challenges. The Yankees secured a 6-2 victory against the Orioles, ending a four-game losing streak.
Key points
Anthony Volpe returned to the Yankees after playing in the minors
Yankees won 6-2 against the Orioles
Paul Goldschmidt hit a home run in the game
Trent Grisham contributed with a three-run homer
Will Warren pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs
YankeesAnthony VolpePaul GoldschmidtTrent Grisham
BALTIMORE â Aaron Judge stood at his locker chatting with Paul Goldschmidt, whose first pitch of the game bomb into the left-field seats put the Yankees ahead for good in a 6-2 Tuesday night win at Oriole Park that ended a four-game losing streak.
Across the clubhouse, Will Warrenâs post-game interview included talk about the wow factor of his 5 2/3-inning, two-run start and his Houdini act that kept the Orioles from scoring after they loaded the bases with no one out in the third inning.
Along the long wall, Trent Grisham relaxed in a chair in front of his stall after a night of his own. His three-run homer in the top of the third was an early knockout punch.
But the happiest Yankee was the one who made it to the ballpark right around first pitch, the one who spent last week playing shortstop for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in Worcester, Massachusetts.
This wasnât how Volpe expected his return to occur, but heâs now only looking ahead. Heâd gone through a lot in the last eight months: having an offseason surgery, starting the season on the injured list, and enduring a rehab assignment that lasted longer than heâd have liked. Then came an option to Triple-A that probably felt like baseball purgatory.
âSuper pumped,â Volpe said. âJust good to be back. It feels good to see everyone and ready to go.â
Volpe, 25, worked all winter and spring, waiting to make his 2026 season better than his 2025 season, and heâll finally get a shot to show what he can do on Wednesday.
Q&A
What challenges is Anthony Volpe facing after returning to the Yankees?
Anthony Volpe is encountering roadblocks as he re-integrates into the Yankees after his time in the minors.
How did the Yankees perform in their recent game against the Orioles?
The Yankees won 6-2 against the Orioles, ending a four-game losing streak.
Who contributed to the Yankees' victory over the Orioles?
Paul Goldschmidt hit a home run, and Trent Grisham contributed with a three-run homer in the game.
What was Will Warren's performance like in the game against the Orioles?
Will Warren had a strong outing, pitching 5 2/3 innings and allowing only two runs.
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
In a series finale that changed from a 6:35 p.m. first pitch to a 1:05 p.m. matinee due to expected rain in Baltimore, Volpe will be in manager Aaron Booneâs lineup, playing shortstop. Thatâs the way it was for 455 of the Yankeesâ 486 regular-season games in Volpeâs first three seasons as a big leaguer, 2023-25, and thatâs the way itâll be again.
For a little while, at least.
Before a big dose of his new reality was dropped â the Yankees expect Caballero to be off the IL and remain the starter at shortstop by next weekend â Volpe was upbeat on a variety of topics.
He smiled when he talked about the hard work he did to recover from an October surgery that repaired his partially torn left labrum, an injury that he played through from May on last season.
Counting rehab games, Volpe hit just .221 in 76 plate appearances in 18 minor-league games since starting a rehab assignment on April 14, but he said he feels good at the plate while working on âstuff heâs trying to do.â
Volpe also talked about how it âmeant the worldâ to him that Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm and other teammates reached out to him after his season-opening IL stint ended May 3, when he faced being optioned to Triple-A rather than returning to the Yankees as the everyday shortstop.
He also talked about how fortunate he was to have Oswaldo Cabrera as a Triple-A teammate. âYou guys know him,â Volpe said. âHeâs the best of the best. I canât say enough good things. Just having him there and his positivity and his perspective ... you canât have a bad day when youâre sharing lockers with him.â
After all that positivity, a bombshell landed near the end of a four-minute interview.
This was when Volpe was informed that Boone plans to keep Caballero as the starting shortstop once Caballero returns from the IL, which could be as soon as next weekend.
While Volpe was digesting this news for the first time, he was asked whether he thought he could change the Yankeesâ minds.
Volpe looked bewildered upon hearing that, but he tackled the question like a pro.
âIf I learned anything out of all this, thereâs things I canât control and things I can,â he responded. âWeâve got a game (Wednesday) and thatâs what Iâm focused on. Throughout this whole thing, itâs been day to day for me, how I could get better, how I can improve, and thatâs all Iâm focused on.â
Later, Volpe was asked if heâs willing to play other positions if the Yankees asked, and they probably will when Caballero returns.
Volpe also gave the right answer to this question. He will do whatever the Yankees ask. Playing High-A and Low-A ball in 2021, he made three starts at third base and two at second base. As a child, he also played some second base for Team USA, but otherwise he has been a shortstop.
Second base, however, might be Volpeâs best chance to have a long-term future with the Yankees. They appear set at short for a lot of years with Caballero starting now and No. 1 prospect George Lombard Jr. already in Triple-A at age 20.
If the Yankees donât re-sign second baseman Jazz Chisholm when he becomes a free agent following the 2026 season â a return seems unlikely â Volpe could be the starter at second base next season. Of course, that wonât be possible until he becomes a reliable defender at second base and a more consistent hitter.
Thatâs all down the road, though. His only focus now is contributing to the Yankeesâ wins this week and next.
âIâm ready to get going,â Volpe said. âThis is my start. It took a lot to get back here, so now that Iâm here, Iâm ready to go.â
