Yankees' Anthony Volpe Roster Decision Just Got More Complicated
The Yankees will have to make a tough decision in the near future with the looming return of shortstop Anthony Volpe.
Volpe, who just wrapped up playing four games at Double-A Somerset, is continuing to work his way back from offseason left labrum surgery. The 24-year-old played well in the first step of his rehab assignment, hitting .364 with two stolen bases, two runs scored, a walk, and striking out three times.
The young infielder is now at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the final hurdle he must clear to get back to the big leagues. Volpe is already off to a good start with the RailRiders, going 2-for-4 with a 378-foot solo home run on Tuesday night.
With all that being said, time is slowly running out for the Yankees, who will need to part ways with someone off the bench to make room for Volpe. During the first three weeks of the season, the thought was that Randal Grichuk would be the odd man out, as he started 0-for-13 with four runs scored, six strikeouts, and a walk in his first nine games.
However, the veteran outfielder has seemingly found his stride at the plate, registering at least one hit in three out of his last four games. In Tuesday night's win over the Boston Red Sox, he went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
If Grichuk continues to stack hits, it begs the question of what the Yankees will do to free up a spot for Volpe?
Randal Grichuk could still be odd man out as Yankees' bench doesn't have many other options
As things currently stand, the Yankees' four bench bats are J.C. Escarra, Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario and Grichuk.
It's unlikely that New York would punt on the 38-year-old Goldschmidt, even though he's hitting .150 with a home run and three RBI in eight games. Goldschmidt had a good first season with the Yankees last year and, overall, has been a productive player throughout his career.
Meanwhile, Rosario provides the Yankees with a ton of versatility across the diamond, as he has played at third base, second base, right and left field this season. He's also slugging .250 with three home runs and nine RBI across 16 games. That's pretty good production for a player on a one-year, $2.5 million deal.
That being said, it leaves Escarra and Grichuk. Escarra isn't the best backup catcher in MLB, and that could lead to Ali Sanchez, who is hitting .325 with three home runs and seven RBI at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, getting a look.
Escarra has minor league options. The Yankees could exercise them, as he's hitting .158 at the plate this season. But then it would mean the Yankees would have to put Ben Rice at backup catcher, and they likely don't want to do that.
Rice is crushing at the plate this season (.319 with eight home runs and 18) and is clearly the team's best option at first base. That leaves Grichuk, who was originally a minor league signee by the Yankees in the offseason.
If the Yankees were to designate Grichuk for assignment, New York would have a week to see if they could trade or place him on waivers. If the veteran hits waivers and goes unclaimed, then it allows him to go to Triple-A.
However, since the veteran outfielder has over three years of MLB experience (13 years to be exact), Grichuk could refuse to go down to the minors, and instead hit free agency, allowing him to pursue another opportunity in the majors.
If that were to happen, all wouldn't be lost for the Yankees as they could put Rosario in either corner outfield spot. Now, we wait to see what manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman ultimately decide to do in the coming weeks.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/yankees/onsi as Yankees' Anthony Volpe Roster Decision Just Got More Complicated.
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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 12:30 PM.