Yankees manager Aaron Boone likes Anthony Volpe where he’s at.
Volpe continued his second-half power surge over the weekend with more home runs against the Blue Jays, but the second-year shortstop’s red-hot hitting doesn’t mean a return to the leadoff spot is imminent.
“I’d kind of prefer this,” Boone said Sunday. “I like where our lineup is at, and Anthony, whether it’s [hitting No.] 6, 7, 8, 9, … he’s really started to add length to that.”
Volpe’s home runs on Friday and Saturday — both out of the seventh spot in the lineup — marked the first time in his career that he homered in back-to-back games.
Saturday’s blast gave Volpe five home runs in an 11-game span, during which he batted no higher than fifth in the order.
Volpe served as the Yankees’ leadoff batter for 76 games between April 10 and July 3 but hit just .242 with a .293 on-base percentage and a .650 OPS over his 354 plate appearances in that spot.
In the month since, Volpe was batting .281 with a .310 on-base percentage and an .810 OPS over 24 games entering Sunday, seeing time in every spot in the order between fifth and ninth.
“I see the adjustment that he’s gone through over the last month, and I think it’s a result of getting into a strong position more consistently so that he can fire that swing, along with making better swing decisions, too,” Boone said. “I think it’s just, mechanically, getting to a better place that’s allowed that to happen.”
The Yankees continue to deploy a revolving door of leadoff batters, who are expected to serve as table-setters for sluggers Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. Through 112 games, Yankees hitters combined for a .225 average, a .278 on-base percentage and a .641 OPS out of the leadoff position. Ben Rice, Gleyber Torres and Alex Verdugo are among the others the Yankees have tried in the spot.
DJ LeMahieu was expected to begin the year as the Yankees’ leadoff hitter, but a spring-training foot fracture cost him the first two months of the season. The 36-year-old has largely struggled since returning, beginning Sunday with a .182 average and a .270 on-base percentage.
Volpe, who hit .209 with 21 home runs as a rookie last season, says he hasn’t changed his approach during his recent uptick in power.
“I’m just trying to see the ball and hit the ball,” Volpe said. “I feel like some of the stuff we’ve been working on just helps me get into better positions.”
Volpe entered Sunday with a .308 average in his 136 at-bats outside of the leadoff spot. He had seven home runs in those at-bats, compared to four homers as a leadoff hitter, despite him having 208 more plate appearances in the No. 1 hole.
“He’s really started to add length to [the lineup],” Boone said when asked about whether he’d consider moving Volpe back up top.
“I never rule anything out,” the manager continued. “When I moved him up there, it was a little bit out of necessity. He was swinging the bat well and we had a couple guys that kind of struggled in that spot. I wouldn’t rule anything out, but I’m hoping that we kind of remain where we’re at right now with the construction.”
VERDUGO OFF DAY
Verdugo was not in the Yankees’ starting lineup Sunday, with Boone saying he wanted to give the left fielder a rest because he’s “a little beat up.”
“He’s all right,” Boone said. “I don’t want to get too much into it, but he’s doing all right.”
With the Yankees off Monday, Boone said he saw an opportunity to get Verdugo a two-day break.
Judge started in left field in place of the lefty-swinging Verdugo, who is hitting .233 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI.
Rice, who also bats left-handed, was out of the starting lineup as well. Blue Jays starter Yariel Rodriguez, a rookie right-hander, boasts reverse splits, with lefties hitting .167 with a .516 OPS against him through 10 career starts.
GIANT CELEBRATION
Eli Manning threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Sunday’s game, during which the Yankees recognized the Giants’ upcoming 100th season.
The festivities also included fans receiving a bobblehead depicting Manning in a Yankees uniform, as well as one of the Giants’ Lombardi Trophies being displayed in the Yankees Museum.
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