Anthony Volpe makes Yankees' Opening Day roster

TAMPA, Fla. — With the way he had played in spring training, it seemed inevitable. But when Anthony Volpe was told on Sunday that he had made the Yankees’ Opening Day roster, the 21-year-old shortstop from New Jersey could hardly contain his excitement.

“My heart was beating pretty hard,” a beaming Volpe said outside the Yankees’ clubhouse. “I don’t really have too many words right now. Just feels amazing.”

The Yankees pulled out all the stops to inform their top prospect that he will make his big-league debut in the Bronx on Thursday when the Yankees open the season against the San Francisco Giants.

After the Yankees’ 6-2 exhibition victory over the Blue Jays, Volpe — who did not play — was called into manager Aaron Boone’s office at Steinbrenner Field.

The Yankees videotaped the moment for posterity.

Volpe sat in a chair opposite Boone, who was seated at his desk. Also in the room were general manager Brian Cashman, bench coach Carlos Mendoza and hitting coach Dillon Lawson (and someone holding a camera).

Boone tried a fake-out.

“All right,” he said as he leaned across the desk. “This is a difficult conversation to have to have because you came in and played your [butt] off, OK, and we talked about at the start of this it being a competition, and you killed it.

“But at the end of the day, you’ve got 20-something games at Triple-A. There’s always room for development.

“But at the end, I think that development should happen in the big leagues. Welcome to New York.”

Boone extended his right hand and shook the right hand of Volpe, who smiled and laughed as he stood.

“Congratulations, brother,” Boone said as the two hugged. “You earned it.”

“Thank you,” a giggling Volpe said. “My heart’s beating.”

“You earned it,” Boone said again. “You earned it.”

Volpe earned it by batting .314 with six doubles, a triple, three home runs and a 1.064 OPS in his first big-league spring training. By stealing five bases in five tries. By not making an error at shortstop or second base. By working hard and always smiling and, even though he looks like a teenager, carrying himself like a 10-year veteran — and, dare we say, carrying himself in a fashion similar to another New Jersey-born shortstop who made the Yankees as a rookie in 1996.

Yes, that means Derek Jeter, whom Volpe worshiped as a kid. On Thursday, Volpe will trot out to shortstop and take the position Jeter once owned and turned into an iconic Hall of Fame career.

“It’s super-surreal,” Volpe said. “I’ve only ever been to [big-league] games at Yankee Stadium. For the most part, only ever watched him play there. So to get the opportunity is . . . I’m so excited.”

Oswald Peraza, who hit .190 as Volpe’s top competitor in the shortstop battle, was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Volpe will be the first rookie to start for the Yankees on Opening Day since Aaron Judge in 2017 and the first to make his big-league debut in the season opener since Hideki Matsui in 2003. According to MLB.com, Volpe will be the youngest Yankee to start on Opening Day since Jeter, who also was 21 when he started the opener in Cleveland in 1996.

Volpe’s grandparents, parents and younger sister attended Sunday’s game and probably were tipped off by the Yankees to hang around after it ended. That allowed the entire family to pose for pictures outside the Yankees’ dugout after Volpe was given the good news.

“I don’t know if there was much talking,” Volpe said. “My parents are pretty emotional. It was unbelievable to share it with them, my grandparents and a couple of people on FaceTime . . . This moment was kind of what I worked my whole life for.”

Cashman said in a statement released by the Yankees: “The obvious exclamation point here is Anthony Volpe came into camp and took this position. He should be congratulated. It was well-played. He’s earned the right to take that spot for the New York Yankees as we open the 2023 season and we’re excited for him.”

Volpe said he planned to celebrate the news on Sunday night with a dinner that already had been planned with his four spring training roommates. “The last supper,” he called it, as Monday is the final day of the Florida portion of camp.

Then it’s back to work. The Yankees have an exhibition game against Tampa Bay on Monday afternoon.

Anthony Volpe, the new shortstop for the New York Yankees, will be in the lineup.

“Incredible,” he said. “I’m just so excited. It’s hard for me to even put into words.”

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.