Anthony Volpe’s prolonged slump finally landed him on the bench Saturday — not to start the game, but at the end, as the shortstop was replaced by pinch-hitter Trent Grisham in the top of the ninth of a one-run game.
It’s the latest example of how far Volpe has fallen, as Aaron Boone went with the lefty-swinging Grisham to face Reed Garrett to start the top of the ninth after Volpe went hitless in his first three at-bats in a 6-5 loss to the Mets at Citi Field.
The move didn’t work, as Grisham flied out to left, but it was indicative of the struggles Volpe has had, especially over the last three weeks. His OPS is down to .695, the lowest it’s been since late April.
“The competitor in you wants to be out there and help the team, and you feel like you can, but those things are out of my control,” Volpe said of the decision to use a pinch-hitter in the crucial spot. “What is [in my control] is just putting in the work and earning those at-bats. Earning every at-bat.”
Anthony Volpe’s slump keep growing worse.Getty Images
Boone acknowledged Volpe’s recent woes were a factor in the move.
“Knowing Garrett was going back out [for a second inning], I’d rather have a lefty facing him,” Boone said. “And what [Volpe] has gone through here the last few weeks, getting it going and having some real thunder [in Grisham] over there, too.”
But this isn’t unfamiliar territory for Volpe and the Yankees, as the third-year player has a rough stretch — or more — each season.
There’s consistent expectation Volpe will get back to using the entire field more consistently, but he far too often rolls balls over to the left side of the infield, something he did again Saturday when he bounced into an inning-ending double play in the sixth against Austin Warren.
Asked if he’s feeling pressure because of his own poor play and that of the entire team, which has lost five in a row, Volpe said, “It’s the same as ever. The same standard I hold myself to every day.”
He said he’s “been grinding, for sure” at the plate.
Aaron Boone looks on during the Yankees-Metes game on July 4, 2025.Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
“I think it’s just timing,” Volpe said. “When you’re not on your timing, you feel late or quick, and a lot is gonna break down.”
Boone called Volpe’s results “a mixed bag. I feel like one or two times a game, he has a decent swing.”
He pointed to the deep fly ball to center that Volpe hit to start the fifth that Tyrone Taylor tracked down.
Still, he’s 11-for-77 with just three extra-base hits in his last 22 games. And that comes after a mostly ugly final four months of 2024 before a stunning turnaround in the playoffs that now seems like a distant memory.
“He’s going through it a little bit right now,” Boone said. “He’s got to keep working on it.”
