The New York Yankees snapped a four-game losing streak with a 6-2 victory over the Orioles in Baltimore on Tuesday night, but the biggest story in the clubhouse wasn't the win itself—it was the man who arrived just as the first pitch was thrown.
Anthony Volpe is back in pinstripes, recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after starting shortstop Jose Caballero landed on the 10-day injured list with a broken finger, confirmed by an MRI. For Volpe, the call-up is both a relief and a reminder of just how winding his road back to the majors has been.
It's been a long eight months for the 25-year-old infielder. An offseason surgery kept him from starting the 2026 season on time, and a rehab assignment stretched longer than anyone anticipated. Then came the option to Triple-A, a stint that felt like baseball purgatory for a player who had been the Yankees' everyday shortstop in 455 of their 486 regular-season games from 2023 to 2025.
"Super pumped," Volpe said after Tuesday's game. "Just good to be back. It feels good to see everyone and ready to go."
While Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt celebrated Goldschmidt's first-inning homer, and while Will Warren dazzled with 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball—including a Houdini-like escape from a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the third—and while Trent Grisham's three-run shot in the third provided the early knockout, the happiest Yankee was the one who spent last week playing in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Volpe will make his 2026 debut on Wednesday in the series finale against Baltimore, a game that was moved from 6:35 p.m. to a 1:05 p.m. matinee due to expected rain. Manager Aaron Boone has already confirmed Volpe will be in the lineup at shortstop, his natural position.
But there's a catch. While Volpe is thrilled to be back, the Yankees expect Caballero to return from the injured list in about two weeks. That means Volpe's window to prove himself may be short, and every start counts. For a player who worked all winter and spring to make this season better than the last, the opportunity is finally here—even if it comes with a ticking clock.