New York Yankees rookie Anthony Volpe won the spring training shortstop competition fair and square.
He showed poise, he made consistent and loud contact, he hit for power, and he stole bases.
The idea was for Volpe to carry that momentum into the regular season.
For the season’s first three games, he looked like a world beater: he accumulated a stolen base in each one of those games.
After that, he has been struggling to inflict much damage and his numbers have suffered.
Manager Aaron Boone recognized that he may need a bit of a break and is giving him Tuesday off.
“Aaron Boone says Oswaldo Cabrera is starting at shortstop today. Anthony Volpe will have his first day off this season,” Talkin’ Yanks tweeted.
Aaron Boone says Oswaldo Cabrera is starting at shortstop today. Anthony Volpe will have his first off day this season
—Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 11, 2023
Expectations from fans and media have been unfair, and Volpe might be a bit overwhelmed.
For the season, he is hitting a disappointing .129/.250/.194 in 36 plate appearances.
He is yet to hit a home run and has struck out in 33.3 percent of his trips to the plate, exactly a third.
As a reminder, he had seen only 99 plate appearances in Triple-A, and he posted a .718 OPS.
It might take a while for him to get acclimated to MLB pitching, but once it happens, he will be a very good shortstop.
The Yankees just need to be patient.
Giving him a day off is a good strategy at this stage: he might need a short break to relax and try again in the next game.
Many players who are currently stars struggled right out of the gate, because the talent jump from Triple-A to the big leagues is significant.
Volpe will probably be fine in the long run.
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