Overview
- On Wednesday Michael Kay publicly retracted his earlier claim that Anthony Volpe refused a Yankees request to work at second base after further checks showed the report was false.
- Volpe denied the story and said he told manager Aaron Boone he would “do literally whatever the team needed,” including saying he would have played catcher when optioned.
- Boone defended Volpe’s character, put him back in the starting lineup for the Rays series with José Caballero shifted to second base, and called the shortstop decision a day‑by‑day choice.
- Volpe began 2026 on the injured list after shoulder surgery, was optioned to Triple‑A in May, returned in mid‑May, and through 41 games is batting .240/.338/.326 with one homer and 13 RBIs.
- The episode intensified fan anger and raised questions about verification in local sports media while forcing the Yankees to weigh Volpe’s uneven performance against Caballero and rising infield prospects when setting the roster.