Anthony Volpe plates two as Yankees top Orioles

Baseball is a game of inches. Literally. Nobody is more aware of that age-old truism than Volpe as the Yankees were unable to stave off elimination and keep their season alive. It looked momentarily like the much-harangued former top prospect was going to have his signature moment at Yankee Stadium before a replay review overturned a potential game-tying home run to left field due to some fairly obvious fan interference in the sixth inning. He struck out on seven pitches against Rays closer Bryan Baker leading off the ninth as the Yankees were swept out of the postseason by their division rivals.

The Yankees could have played José Caballero at third and Volpe at second with Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ryan McMahon sitting against a lefty, but they want to see if Volpe can serve as an alternative to McMahon in the postseason. It’s just kind of weird that they’ve waited this long to do it.

It appears as though the Yankees are easing Chisholm back into action following his return from the injured list. He’ll sit against Rays’ left-hander Ian Seymour in this one with Anthony Volpe starting in his place at second base and batting seventh for the Bombers on Thursday evening in New York.

Jazz Chisholm is back from the injured list, and Boone told Talkin’ Yanks that he prefers to keep Chisholm at second base and George Lombard at shortstop. That will mean that Volpe needs to play third base in order to remain in the starting lineup, which would push Jose Caballero back to the bench. Volpe is hitting .263 in 11 games in September with one home run, seven RBI scored, and four runs scored. He’s certainly better than Ryan McMahon, but how he handles the position defensively will determine if he’s a better option than Caballero.

Volpe came up in the top of the ninth with two on, two out, and the Yankees trailing by two. He delivered a two-run double off Minnesota closer Yoendrys Gómez, continuing his hot hitting since being recalled from Triple-A. Volpe has now started six of the team’s past seven games at second base with Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the IL.

Volpe certainly made the most of his return to the Bronx on Thursday. He smacked an RBI single off of Ryan Feltner in the second inning that increased the Yankees’ lead to 3-1. He also swiped third base before being stranded there. Volpe then delivered a 352-foot (104.0-mph EV) grand slam off of Jimmy Herget in the seventh inning that made it a 10-2 ballgame. With his three-hit attack, the 25-year-old infielder is now slashing .251/.333/.349 with just two homers, 24 RBI and eight stolen bases in 198 plate appearances with the Yankees this season.

Volpe could conceivably get a trial at second base while Jazz Chisholm Jr. is out — he was playing the position at Triple-A — but it’s more likely his playing time remains up-and-down, as it was when he was up before George Lombard Jr. was handed the keys at shortstop.

Boone elaborated that Chisholm, who is available to pinch-run off the bench during Wednesday’s contest against the Rockies, will be shut down from baseball activities for at least 7-10 days. The 28-year-old power/speed combo threat, who has racked up 19 homers and 40 steals in 134 games this season, suffered the injury on a slide into second base during the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game. There’s a chance that he’s done for the rest of the regular season with just over two weeks remaining on the calendar. Needless to say, it’s a significant loss for the Yankees as they try to overtake the Rays for the AL East division crown down the home stretch. He’ll be officially placed on the injured list before Thursday’s series finale with Anthony Volpe coming up to take his roster spot.

It makes sense. If George Lombard Jr. is coming up to be the Yankees’ shortstop of the future, then the team needs to figure out if they can play Volpe in another place. If Volpe were to look good at second, then the Yankees could shift Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to third base.

Lombard will make his major-league debut against the Cardinals on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. The 21-year-old remains a work in progress from an offensive standpoint at this stage of his development, but he’s shown some real over-the-fence pop at the Triple-A level this season. He’s a phenomenal defender and projects as New York’s long-term answer at shortstop, which means they can finally end the bizarre José Caballero and Anthony Volpe timeshare once and for all. He may not provide an instant fantasy impact outside of deeper leagues, but Lombard in a prospect worth monitoring closely, even in shallow mixers.