The Yankees have already seen what happens when Anthony Volpe catches fire for a night, and it’s easy to let that kind of performance pull the conversation in the wrong direction. After Jazz Chisholm Jr. went down, Volpe came up huge against the Colorado Rockies with a three-hit game that ended in a grand slam. He had also just been riding a hot streak in the minors, so the idea of him forcing his way into a bigger role started to take hold.
But the follow-up has been much more familiar. Since that breakout game, Volpe is 7-for-33, without a home run and with only two doubles. His .226/.263/.290 slash line looks a lot like the player he’s been for most of his time in the majors.
That’s why, with Chisholm set to play in the second game of Tuesday night’s doubleheader against the Rays, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, the Yankees shouldn’t be overthinking second base. Chisholm is the clear choice.
He hasn’t had a perfect season, but he brings more danger to the plate and on the bases than Volpe does. Chisholm has 19 home runs and 40 stolen bases this year, and he’s hitting .232/.312/.403 overall.
The glove is a big part of the case, too. A player can spend all year sitting at or below a 100 wRC+ and still finish with a 3.2 WAR, and that’s the value Chisholm has supplied, according to FanGraphs. He’s also posted 12 Outs Above Average at second base this season, per Baseball Savant.
The Yankees’ thinking seems to point that way as well. When Aaron Boone was asked about Volpe’s status and whether third base might be an option, the manager centered the conversation on getting Chisholm back first.
"We'll see," Boone said of Volpe getting reps at the hot corner, according to the New York Post's Greg Joyce. "First things first, getting Jazz back, and then we'll figure it out as the week unfolds, how I want to play it."
There is still a possible October wrinkle if the Yankees run into a tough lefty and decide they don’t want Ryan McMahon, who has a 74 wRC+, and Chisholm in the same lineup. In that case, they could keep Chisholm at second and use either Jose Caballero or Volpe at third.
Another route would be moving Chisholm back to third and leaving Volpe at second, which would let the Yankees keep the stronger player on the field while also getting a right-handed bat at either second or third.
And with Aaron Judge out, Chisholm could matter even more for the lineup. The season hasn’t gone the way he wanted, but a big October would go a long way toward balancing out the regular-season frustration.
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Nick Martinez gave the Rays a chance by going six innings and allowing just two runs on five hits, but New York still controlled the tone of the afternoon. For a Tampa Bay club that was looking to build any kind of momentum in a short set, the Yankees turned the first game into a clean, compact statement and left the day-night split with plenty still hanging on the second half. [Read more 🡒]