
Spoelstra: No need to penalize Ball any further
Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
Anthony Volpe made his first rehab start with Double-A Somerset, playing five innings. This marks a significant step in his recovery process.
(Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
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(Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe made his first rehab start on Tuesday night, playing for Double-A Somerset and it was a bit of a mixed bag.
Volpe finished the game going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, but he was going up against one of the best pitchers in the league, Zack Wheeler.
The Phillies ace was making a rehab start of his own, and the right-hander struck Volpe out swinging on three pitches. In Volpe's second at-bat, he put up more of a fight. Volpe worked the count full and fouled off a couple of pitches before Wheeler finally got the young infielder to strike out swinging on a nasty sweeper.
In the field, Volpe made every play hit to him at shortstop. Rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery, Volpe is showing no effects of the injury that hampered his offensive and defensive performance in 2025. He was eventually pulled after five innings.
Volpe had his worst statistical season last year, batting .212 with 19 home runs and a career-low .272 OBP. He also had a career-high 19 errors in the field.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Volpe will play about three to five innings in his first couple of starts before building him up. The Yankees skipper said that Volpe has had more than 50 live at-bats in the Yankees complex in Tampa and has put in a lot of work at shortstop, so he considers Volpe ahead of where players are at when spring training begins.
Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. was also playing in Somerset on Tuesday and started at third base to pair with Volpe. Lombard was a victim of a Wheeler strikeout in the first inning, going down in six pitches. But the second at-bat, he launched a 3-1 pitch deep to right-center field, but the ball died at the wall and was caught for the first out of the fourth inning.
Lombard has had a hot start to his Double-A season. He entered Tuesday's game hitting .464 with five doubles, two home runs and four RBI in seven games.
Anthony Volpe's rehab start was necessitated by an injury he sustained earlier in the season.
Anthony Volpe played five innings in his first rehab game with Double-A Somerset.
Volpe's rehab start is a positive sign for the Yankees as it indicates he is progressing towards a return to the major league roster.

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