New York Yankees Shortstop Anthony Volpe Getting Rare Night Off Tuesday

Manager Aaron Boone told Talkin' Yanks that Anthony Volpe would get a rest day against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, starting Oswaldo Cabrera at shortstop in his place.

Sep 6, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) runs after hitting a single against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Shortstop Anthony Volpe will not be in the New York Yankees' lineup for their series opener against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, manager Aaron Boone confirmed on the Talkin' Yanks podcast.

Volpe isn't dealing with any specific injury, just getting the night off. Oswaldo Cabrera will start at short in Volpe's place.

Over his last eight games, Volpe is just 2-for-25 with one RBI, one walk and nine strikeouts. He is batting .080 with a .191 OPS in that span, but New York has still managed to post a 5-3 record in that stretch.

Cabrera, meanwhile, has gone 3-for-7 with a double, a walk and two runs in his last two starts. Dating back to July 6, he is batting .308 with an .829 OPS, earning innings everywhere but center field and catcher.

Aaron Boone tells us that Oswaldo Cabrera will start at shortstop tonight, with Anthony Volpe getting the night off pic.twitter.com/kMMtq9RS5U

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 17, 2024

Volpe started 2024 red-hot, batting .373 with a 1.006 OPS through his first 16 games. He has failed to put up that kind of production ever since, though, batting .233 with a .634 OPS from April 15 onward.

Still, Boone has turned to Volpe time and time again. The 23-year-old infielder has started all but two games for the Yankees this season, and he has only missed one game on the year.

Volpe finished eighth in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2023, on top of winning a Gold Glove. He finished last season with 12 defensive runs saved, but that figure has dropped to four here in 2024.

The Yankees own a 3.0-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the race for the AL East crown with 12 games remaining in the regular season. New York's magic number for clinching a playoff spot currently stands at two, although that can drop to one if they win and the Detroit Tigers lose on Tuesday.

As for the Mariners, they are 2.0 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the third and final AL Wild Card spot. Detroit stands in between Seattle and Minnesota, too, making it an uphill battle for the Mariners to return to the postseason for just the second time in the last 23 years.

First pitch from T-Mobile Park is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

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