New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe publicly refuted a retracted report that alleged he refused to play second base while on a minor league assignment.
"It couldn’t be further from the truth," Volpe told reporters, as documented by the New York Post. "From my end, from my perspective, that’s been very clearly communicated to [manager Aaron Boone] and the team. I think it’s just kind of B.S., honestly, because I’d hope my teammates in here — I’ve played with them for three-plus years — I hope they know my character and that I’d literally do anything to help the team win. Literally anything."
Volpe, 25, stated that the Yankees had not approached him about a positional change until José Caballero, who began the season as the team's shortstop, was activated from the injured list in May. Volpe had undergone surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder and focused on his rehab with the intention of returning as a shortstop. He was optioned to Triple-A on May 4, coinciding with Caballero's return and strong performance.
During the offseason, Volpe communicated with the Yankees, inquiring about expectations while his rehab limited him to ground balls and prevented throwing across the diamond. The team's message, he said, was to be ready to play shortstop. General Manager Brian Cashman had also indicated that the initial plan was for Volpe to reclaim the shortstop position, but Caballero's play influenced the team's decisions.
However, circumstances shifted when Caballero sustained an injury, leading to Volpe's recall. At that time, Volpe was exclusively playing shortstop in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
"When I was getting optioned, I told Booney I’d play catcher, I’d do literally whatever the team needed," Volpe explained. "And that’s the truth behind the story. That’s why the fact that what was said was said is catching me so off-guard because there was literally zero of that."
Volpe added that he would have accepted a position change without issue. "I want to be here and I want to help the team win the World Series. That’s literally all I want," he said.
Manager Aaron Boone supported Volpe's claims, stating, "I know he would do anything. Volpe’s character and team-first [mindset] is beyond reproach. He’s as good as it gets. He’s been through a lot and he’s handled everything with toughness, with grace, with work ethic and with team-first in mind. He’s always been that way."
Volpe, a first-round draft pick by the Yankees in 2019, has shown flashes of potential but has struggled with consistency over parts of four seasons. He holds a career slash line of .224/.287/.375 with a .662 OPS across 513 games. Last season, Volpe led Major League Baseball with 19 errors at shortstop, and he has committed three errors in 36 starts this year.