Three takeaways from the Yankees' series vs. the Cincinnati Reds
Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe fields a ball hit by the Cincinnati Reds' Jose Trevino during the second inning of a game Tuesday in Cincinnati. Credit: AP
Here are three takeaways from the Yankees’ three-game series in Cincinnati.
Volpe: Yay or nay?
Is Anthony Volpe a good player who can just look really bad at times? Or is he a bad player who continues to be hyped beyond his actual value?
That is a big topic of discussion among Yankees fans. The vitriol directed at Volpe reached a new high during his recent slump and might have peaked when the Mets sent Francisco Alvarez to the minors last week.
The thinking from some fans is that Volpe could use a little minor-league refresher, too.
That is 100% not the Yankees’ thinking.
“I want him to be productive, however that comes,” manager Aaron Boone said on Tuesday. “Some people want him, ‘He should be [hitting] .280 and be this.’ I want production. It can be that, it can be some power, baserunning, getting on base. I don’t give a rip how it comes. We want it to come. To say a guy’s got to be a certain way because he looks a certain way or he’s a shortstop or this . . . We want him to be productive. He’s still going through growth at the major-league level.
“Through all the noise of it this year — and really a 10-day stretch here where he’s struggled — he’s been really productive this year. He’s had a productive offensive season for a shortstop. I think it’s important to not lose sight of that fact for a guy that’s 24 years old. I know he works his tail off, and we’re going to work with him to try to get him to be the best he can be.
“Everyone’s trajectory is different. Some guys ascend right away and they’re stars right away. Other guys we see that are late bloomers end up becoming great players later in their career or a part of their game gets unlocked at different points. I know he’s got a lot of talent, but great work ethic and a great competitive spirit to him. My expectations are still very high for him.”
After going 0-for-3 with a walk and a sacrifice fly in the Yankees’ 7-1 victory in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Volpe is batting .230 with nine home runs, 44 RBIs and a .722 OPS. He has eight stolen bases but has been thrown out seven times.
The 2023 AL Gold Glove winner as a rookie has nine errors, the highest shortstop total in the AL going into Thursday.
Is that all there is? Is that enough?
“That’s the next level for him: Can he get to that next level and then become that frontline two-way player?” Boone said.
Judge gets All-Star nod
Newsflash: Aaron Judge is an All-Star.
Aaron Judge is the leading vote-getter in all of baseball for the All-Star Game with more than 4 million votes as of the latest tally announced on Thursday evening and has earned a starting spot in the AL outfield.
But it’s possible the captain will not be joined by any other Yankees in the starting lineup once so-called Phase 2 voting ends. There are two finalists for each spot and the two Yankees still alive on the ballot are distant seconds.
Paul Goldschmidt trails Vladimir Guerrero Jr. by 500,000 votes at first base. The Yankees did not list Giancarlo Stanton as their designated hitter nominee because he started the season injured. Ben Rice is second by more than 1 million votes among AL DHs to Baltimore’s Ryan O’Hearn.
Rice and Goldschmidt trailed by those margins in Phase 1, but totals reset in Phase 2. So it’s anybody’s ballgame!
The Yankees should be represented by some pitchers at the July 15 game in Atlanta. Max Fried is a lock and Carlos Rodon is a strong candidate. Boone will manage the AL squad because the Yankees made it to the World Series last year. Boone was asked in Cincinnati if he would pick Fried to start the game and said it’s too early to decide.
One is the loneliest number
Devin Williams said clearly and unequivocally on Wednesday that he prefers to pitch one inning. The issue came up because Boone did not ask Williams to pitch a second inning after he threw a nine-pitch ninth in Tuesday’s 5-4, 11-inning loss to the Reds.
Mark Leiter Jr., who apparently has no such rule, pitched in the 10th and 11th after throwing 27 pitches the night before.
Williams, who appears to have his closer’s job back since the Yankees like using Luke Weaver as a multiple-inning weapon, is a free agent after the season.
Some guys just aren’t a great fit in New York; it’s hard to forget Williams getting booed on Opening Day.
Something tells us Williams’ Yankees career will be like his innings preference: one-(year)-and-done.
)-and-done.
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
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