He'll lace them up tonight through Sunday in Double A, then maybe drive to Scranton - the Anthracite and Yankee Prospect Capital of Pennsyltucky - to face Triple A grist. The former Great White Volp could be ready for the Bronx around May 1, which leaves the Yankiverse pondering the unponderable:
What then?
As you know, Volpe is rehabbing from surgery for a torn labium, which happened last May and is blamed - a bit too conveniently? - for his dismal 2025 season. He ended up hitting .212 with 19 HRs, a wretched OBP of .272, and 19 errors at SS, most in the AL. Statistically, through age 24, his statistical doppelganger is Rey Quinones. Whether we should be awaiting his return is a debate worthy of the Pope and J.D. Vance.
Still, Volpe remains a great Yankee hype - a former future plaque in Monument Park - and I submit that, for nearly all Yankee hardcores, there remains an unquenchable dream in our hearts for his success. Remember "Volpening Day," three years ago, when he seemed on the same trajectory as Bobby Witt Jr?
What if he figure it out? What if he finally becomes a star? Do we want that to happen in another city? He needs one last shot, right?
Hummina, hummina, hummina...
Last night, for the second time in three days, our current SS, Jose Caballero, had a huge hit in a walk-off victory. He scored the winning run Tuesday, scrambling from third on a WP, and last night's single ended the game - a veritable Christmas gift from another former Yankee hope, Oswald Peraza, who co-bungled a pop-up, unleashing the hounds of Hell. This all happened barely an inning after Cabby made a great defensive play, snaring a grounder and throwing perfectly to first. It brought him a postgame ice-bucket shower from the captain.
It had to be Caballero's greatest moment as a Yankee.
Trouble is, Caballero is still hitting .186, with an OBP of .238 - completely unacceptable. At 29, he shakes out as a statistical twin to Nick Green, Terry Shumpert and Jeff Kunkel. UNCLE.
Okay, just for the record, let us all recite the current mantra.
a) It's still April.
b) The Mets have lost 7 in a row.
c) The Redsocks look bad.
d) Volpe's return helps everybody.
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1 comment:
Volpe won't play a game in Scranton. Volpe's a Cashman golden boy. A favorite son. In Cash world, Scranton's a punishment, a purgatory. MLB rehabbers in Cash's good graces, with few exceptions based on timing and geography (ie Scranton's at home and Somerset's on the road farther afield), go to suburban Jersey.
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