The New York Yankees are exploring ways to enhance Anthony Volpe's defensive versatility and potentially increase his utility to the team, as evidenced by his recent appearances at second base for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Volpe played his first game at second base on Saturday night, an experiment marking his first time playing a position other than shortstop since 2021. During the game, he successfully fielded all three balls hit to him. The Yankees have been gradually introducing him to this new role, with Volpe playing shortstop on Friday and Sunday following his demotion when the club promoted top prospect George Lombard Jr. Earlier in the season, while with the major league club, Volpe had been taking ground balls at second base on non-playing days.
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Initially, the Yankees opted against game action at second base in the minors without prior minor league experience, especially with José Caballero available to cover the position. However, Volpe's future in the major leagues this season remains uncertain, particularly with Lombard's strong performance. The 25-year-old Volpe's move to second base could offer him more flexibility to return to the big leagues, as he aims to regain the offensive consistency that once positioned him as a top prospect. Second base might also present an opportunity for Volpe to play for the Yankees next season, given Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s impending free agency and the unlikelihood of a contract renewal.
In other team news, Austin Wells has begun to provide much-needed offensive production from the catcher position. Since July 9, Wells has hit .269 with a .935 OPS over 21 games, posting the highest OPS among Yankees players other than Lombard during that period. This development comes at a time when the Yankees have received insufficient offensive output from key players like Ben Rice, Trent Grisham, and Chisholm. The team has also been encouraged by Wells's performance, especially after failing to acquire a catcher at the trade deadline. Wells expressed satisfaction with his recent play, stating, "I feel good. Always want more. I try not to put too much pressure on trying to score runs and trying to do too much. So taking the knocks when you can get them and hopefully extending the lineup allows for guys to come up at the end of the game with good matchups."