Ex-player says quiet part out loud about Anthony Volpe’s dramatic Yankees return
A grand slam gave Volpe the perfect answer to his critics
Anthony Volpe returned to the New York Yankees on Thursday and immediately made the kind of statement that can change a narrative.
After spending more than a month in Triple-A, the former top prospect went 3-for-4, drove in five runs and launched a grand slam during New York’s 10-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies . It was an ideal way to return to the Bronx for a player who’d endured one of the most difficult stretches of his young career,
Volpe had already made an impact before stepping to the plate with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. He collected two hits earlier in the game, including an RBI single, before facing Jimmy Herget with two outs and the bases loaded. Volpe jumped on a 91-mph sinker and sent it 352 feet over the right-field wall.
The ball left his bat at 104 mph, giving the Yankees a 10-2 lead and turning an already comfortable victory into a rout. It was Volpe’s second home run of the season and his third career grand slam.
The moment became even more significant when Yankee Stadium erupted into chants of Volpe’s name. His teammates encouraged him toward the top step of the dugout, where he delivered a curtain call in front of more than 40,000 fans.
Volpe later admitted he essentially “blacked out” during the moment, calling it something he’d remember for a long time.
Former MLB infielder Todd Frazier offered a great assessment of Volpe’s return on Foul Territory. Frazier suggested that the demotion may have helped Volpe mentally, allowing him to relax and rediscover the confidence that had made him such a highly regarded prospect.
“I think it made him calm… He's still a pretty good baseball player, people don't really understand,” said Frazier .
“Yeah, you're in a market where it's that what have you done lately for me attitude. We were all around it… If you're not pulling weight, it's gonna be a big problem.”
Volpe’s biggest challenge starts now
The difficult part is proving Thursday wasn’t simply one spectacular night. Volpe entered the demotion hitting just .240 with a .325 on-base percentage, a .322 slugging percentage, one home run and 19 RBIs across 56 major league games. Those numbers continued a pattern of offensive inconsistency that’s followed him since his 2023 debut.
His time in Triple-A, however, provided legitimate reasons for optimism. Across 37 games, Volpe hit .264 with a .906 OPS, 11 home runs, 26 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He also expanded his defensive versatility, starting games at shortstop, second base and third base.
His bat became especially dangerous late in his stint, when he went 11-for-21 with three homers, three doubles and five stolen bases over a six-game stretch.
That work helped earn him another opportunity in New York, but his path forward won’t necessarily be simple. George Lombard Jr. had already received an opportunity at shortstop, while Jose Caballero had shown his value with strong defense and aggressive base running.
That makes consistency the key for Volpe . His talent clearly hasn’t disappeared, and Thursday offered a reminder of why the Yankees believed in him in the first place. But in New York, potential only buys a player so much time.
