Volpe, Yanks quash report that he refused to play second

ST. PETERSBURG – Anthony Volpe said he was “definitely caught off guard” when his phone rang on Tuesday, alerting him to a report that suggested he had told the Yankees he was unwilling to work out at second base.

There is no truth to it, Volpe said at Tropicana Field, recalling how he’d told manager Aaron Boone earlier this season that he “would play catcher” if that’s what the team desired.

“It’s confusing, because it couldn’t be further from the truth,” Volpe said. “From my end, from our perspective, that’s been very clearly communicated to Boonie and the team. I think it’s just kind of B.S.

“I’d hope my teammates in here, who I’ve played with for three-plus years, I’d hope they know my character and that I’d literally do anything to help the team win. Literally anything. The narrative and what it tries to say about me, I feel like I’m defending myself over something that literally didn’t happen.”

The storyline gained traction after Michael Kay, a YES Network broadcaster who also hosts a radio show on ESPN New York, said during Monday’s program that he heard Volpe told the team: “No, I’m a shortstop.”

“I had two people tell me, and I heard rumors, and I was wrong,” Kay said. “Somebody called me today and said, ‘That’s not right,’ so I made further calls and they said no, that he had never refused to play second base. So I retracted it. I plan to talk to him at some point today or tomorrow and apologize. I feel badly for it. I wouldn’t want to put him in the crosshairs.”

Volpe began the season on the injured list, recovering from left shoulder surgery performed in October. He worked out exclusively at shortstop and was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when his rehab expired on May 3.

“When I was getting optioned, I told Boonie I would play catcher – I’d do literally whatever the team needed,” Volpe said. “And that’s the truth. … What was told to me was, ‘Get ready and come back to play short.’”

Volpe returned to the Majors on May 12, when José Caballero landed on the 10-day injured list with a fractured right middle finger. When Caballero was activated, Boone said Caballero and Volpe would begin sharing duties at shortstop, with Volpe working out at second base on days he wasn’t in the lineup.

That marked the first time the Yankees broached the subject of adding another position, according to Volpe.

“When Cabby came back from his finger, Boonie pulled me in and we had a good talk,” Volpe said. “I’ve been working and ready to go for anything, so it’s just confusing to me.”

A 2023 American League Gold Glove Award winner, Volpe has played shortstop in all 511 of his Major League games in the field entering Wednesday, when he was in the lineup against the Rays. Caballero was at second base.

“He did work at second [base] some on the days he wasn’t in there,” Boone said of Volpe, “but then we had more injuries, and now Cabby’s playing every day kind of elsewhere. It put Volpe in there pretty much every day, too.”

Volpe was slashing .240/.338/.326 with one home run and 13 RBIs in 41 games entering Wednesday. Kay likened Volpe’s current situation to that of catcher Gary Sánchez, another homegrown product who seemed to polarize the fan base.

“All I do is defend him every day on my radio show, what a good guy he is,” Kay said. “I just feel bad if I caused him any angst today.”

Boone said he agrees that Volpe receives too much outside criticism.

“He handles things incredibly well,” Boone said. “I don’t think he’s affected by the different things that can be said on social [media]. He’s just a gamer, and he’s a tough kid who loves the game and plays his butt off every single day. I wish that was celebrated a little bit more.”

Boone has characterized shortstop as a “day-by-day” decision. Earlier this week, he said he does not envision a scenario where Caballero would play shortstop while Volpe plays second base.

“I want to be here, and I want to help the team win the World Series,” Volpe said. “That’s literally all I want.”