
Spoelstra: No need to penalize Ball any further
Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe made his debut for the Double-A Somerset Patriots after offseason shoulder surgery, playing five innings and taking two at-bats in a 9-6 win against the Reading Fightin' Phils. He expressed excitement about returning to the field and hopes for a quick rehab assignment.
NEW YORK â Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe smiled his way through a nine-minute interview after his first game since offseason left shoulder surgery, five innings in the field and two at-bats Tuesday night with the Double-A Somerset Patriots.
âI feel amazing,â Volpe told reporters after the Patriots rallied for a 9-6 victory over the Reading Fightinâ Phils in Bridgewater. âItâs a big milestone, a big checkpoint, so it felt good to get back out there.â
Playing was so much fun for Volpe that he didnât seem to mind being overmatched at the plate in the first game of a rehab assignment that he hopes doesnât last much more than a week.
The competition was as tough as it gets.
Volpe was 0-for-2 with two strikeouts facing Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, who retired the first 14 of the first 15 batters and struck out nine over 5 2/3 innings in his fourth rehab start.
Batting second behind Yankees No. 1 George Lombard Jr., who moved from short to third base, Volpe whiffed on three pitches in the first inning and struck out swinging again in the fourth after fouling off two 3-2 offerings.
âIt was great,â Volpe said. â(Wheeler) looked good. It was a great challenge.â
Wheeler, a righty who is close to returning from September 2025 surgery that treated a blood clot in his throwing shoulder, allowed three sixth-inning runs after Volpe departed from the game.
Rehabbing with the Patriots is a trip back in time for Volpe, a Watchung native who grew up less than 10 miles from TD Bank Ballpark.
As the Yankeesâ consensus No. 1 prospect, Volpe played for the Patriots when they won the Eastern League championship in 2022, often with his parents and grandfather in the stands.
Volpe did some reminiscing before getting a couple doses of reality that heâs a little rusty at the plate.
âItâs very nostalgic, but at the same time when I left here I never wanted to come back ⊠in a good way,â Volpe said. âBut itâs like a family here, for sure. To come back to that and see other guys in your shoes, itâs cool.â
Volpe will rest on Wednesday, then play Thursday and maybe Friday. He wants to play back-to-back games as soon as possible.
Asked how long his rehab assignment will last, Volpe said, âIâll fight for ⊠Weâll see, weâll see. But I feel great after today.â
Volpeâs first game of the year was six months to the day of his arthroscopic surgery that repaired a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder last Oct. 14.
âAt the beginning when they were talking about taking it slow when I didnât feel good, it was easy to listen to them,â he said. âBut now that I feel good, itâs hard.â
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Anthony Volpe stated, 'I feel amazing,' highlighting the significance of his return to the field after surgery.
The Somerset Patriots won the game 9-6 against the Reading Fightin' Phils during Anthony Volpe's debut.
Anthony Volpe hopes that his rehab assignment will not last more than a week.

Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
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