Anthony Volpe took his first game-level step back towards the Bronx on Tuesday, playing five innings at shortstop for Double-A Somerset.
Hitting second behind top prospect George Lombard – who played third in deference to his fellow former first-round pick – Volpe was 0-for-2 with two strikeouts against a rehabbing Zack Wheeler, and faced just one defensive chance at short before being lifted after the fifth.
“I feel amazing. It’s a big milestone, big checkpoint, so it felt good to get back out there,” Volpe told the media in Somerset. “I’ve never had to rehab like this, so it’s just getting into games, and into the flow of the season and the routine. I’m just excited to play.”
Volpe is looking to improve after a down 2025 in which he hit .212 with 19 errors, and played most of the season after hearing a pop in his shoulder in early-May that eventually required labrum surgery this past winter.
“I just feel good, and putting everything behind me and having a fresh start and a healthy start is exciting,” Volpe said. “The big difference was having the idea of what I wanted to be able to do and not physically being able to act on it like normal. But I learned there was a benefit for that, and I felt like I hit the ground running when I got back because I knew exactly what I wanted to work on. I feel like how hard I worked in the rehab process is going to put me in the best position.”
Volpe wasn’t sure what his rehab plan will be, although Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the shortstop has had more than 50 at-bats in extended spring training, so he considers Volpe a little ahead of where players would normally be at the beginning of Spring Training.
Tuesday started a 20-day rehab clock for Volpe, who must now be activated by May 4 – but for now, he was happy to have the first day of that clock tick off just minutes from his childhood home.
“It’s very nostalgic; at the same time, when I left, I never wanted to come back – in a good way – but it’s like a family here for sure,” Volpe said. “To come back to that was cool. It feels comfortable and brings back a lot of memories.”
