The Yankees sent Anthony Volpe to Triple-A, and there’s more to this move than meets the eye.
Sure, it looks straightforward on the surface. Volpe’s been struggling at the plate, and Jose Caballero has been one of their better players to start the season. Simple roster management.
But here’s what makes this interesting – the Yankees can actually push back Volpe’s free agency timeline with this move.
“The Yankees can push Volpe’s free agency from 2028 to 2029 if he stays at least 20 days in the minor leagues. (Rehab assignments do not count toward that total.) But that does not seem to be the No. 1 factor the Yankees are weighing here. Instead, they appear to be signaling that, at this moment, Volpe does not give them the best chance to win,” Chris Kirschner of The Athletic wrote.
That’s the key number – 20 days. The clock didn’t start when he was on his rehab assignment, so it’s ticking now.
If they keep him down until June, they’d gain another year of control over their former top prospect. Even if winning games is the primary concern right now, you’d have to think the front office is aware of what an extra year would mean.
It’s one of those situations where a young player gets caught between performance and business. Not exactly fair, but that’s how service time manipulation works in today’s game.
The way I see it, Volpe needs to force their hand by absolutely raking in Triple-A. Make the decision purely about baseball.
