Anthony Volpe went hitless in seven at-bats during the Yankees’ three-game series against the White Sox, dropping his season batting average down to .188 and his OPS to a lowly .617.
It’s enough for Keith McPherson to believe that cutting down on Volpe’s playing time might be for the best at this point, as the prized rookie looks “overmatched” by big league pitching.
“I hope they spell him a little bit,” Keith said. “‘Yes, you’re still shortstop for the New York Yankees, but you’re not playing every day.’ maybe they have Cabrera and IKF play shortstop some and give Volpe a day off every series. Right now, he can’t be in there every day.
“The kid is overmatched. He’s not ready to be in the lineup every day at the MLB level.”
But Keith isn’t putting Volpe’s struggles all on the 22-year-old’s shoulders. He says the Yankees themselves didn’t do Volpe any favors with how they held him up heading into the season, while also shuffling him up and down the lineup.
“I know the Yankees are a brand, and they care so much on brand and marketing, and they leaned into Volpe being a local kid, meeting Derek Jeter and the whole shortstop thing,” Keith said. “But he’s a kid.
“They did him a disservice. They tried to have him lead off, then they had him at seventh, then ninth. It’s tough to swim in those waters at 22 years old doing it for the first time. But he’s a kid that has excelled at every level. He’s gonna be fine.”
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