New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe made his 2026 regular-season MLB debut during what became a 7-0 loss at the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday afternoon.
That outing did not go as Volpe had hoped, as he went 0-for-3 with a strikeout at the plate. He also committed a brutal error on a groundball hit right at him late in the game.
Following the defeat, Yankees captain Aaron Judge gave Volpe some advice on how the once-promising prospect could bounce back from this latest worrisome performance.
Aaron Judge to Anthony Volpe: Block out the noise
“Just take care of business,” Judge said about Volpe, per Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media. “There’s been a lot of questions, a lot of stuff going on with that, circling with the media, but the biggest thing is block out the noise. There’s going to be a lot of noise with it.”
Such a task could be easier said than done for Volpe after the latter was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre only because Jose Caballero landed on the injured list due to a fractured right middle finger. Miller noted that Yankees manager Aaron Boone has confirmed that Caballero will resume starting once he’s healthy, which means Volpe will eventually be optioned again or become a reserve infielder with the big-league club.
Volpe hadn’t played in an MLB game since he underwent surgery on his left shoulder to repair a torn labrum this past fall. He has since lost the starting job to Caballero, which has left Volpe’s long-term future with the Yankees in doubt.
Aaron Judge: Anthony Volpe is still “a special part” of the Yankees
The 27-17 Yankees will be off Thursday before they begin a three-game series at the struggling New York Mets (17-25) on Friday evening. One would think a three-game tilt against a last-place team could be just what Volpe needs.
“Just go out there and play your game,” Judge added. “He’s a special part of this organization, a special player…so just block out the noise and just go do your job.”