SEATTLE — After starting 139 straight games, Anthony Volpe is getting his second day off in the last eight games on Tuesday.
The Yankees’ streaky shortstop will be on the bench to start Tuesday’s series opener against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park, manager Aaron Boone said on his weekly podcast with Jomboy Media, with Oswaldo Cabrera getting the start against right-hander Bryan Woo.
Woo is especially tough on right-handed hitters — holding them to a .179 average and .491 OPS in 37 career starts — so Boone explained the decision as wanting to get more left-handed hitters like Cabrera in the lineup.
But Volpe has also been scuffling of late at the plate, the latest swing in an up-and-down season offensively — though his defense at a critical position has continued to be strong, and he has played the second-most innings of any player in the majors, trailing only Braves first baseman Matt Olson.
The 23-year-old Volpe entered Tuesday 4-for-37 with one walk and 12 strikeouts over his last 11 games, which left him batting .246 with a .664 OPS through 149 games this year (he has appeared in all but one of the Yankees’ games).
Volpe’s season at the plate has mostly been feast or famine, alternating between hot and cold stretches as he continues his development at the big league level.
After posting a 20/20 rookie season — in which his .666 OPS was the sixth-lowest among qualified hitters — he made offseason adjustments to his swing to get back to the all-fields hitter he was in the minors.
That paid immediate dividends, though it has not been a cure-all over the course of a long season.
“As I’ve talked about a lot this year with Anthony, he’s not a finished product offensively,” Boone said last week. “That said, having the courage and the wherewithal to make what he felt like were some necessary adjustments this winter but evolved and changed his approach and swing a little bit, I think are going to be things that serve him well moving forward. I think they have at times this year, but it’s also been an adjustment.
“So he’s had his ups and downs still. But I think when the dust settles, I do think he’ll be a guy that does a good job of controlling the zone, does walk some and hopefully with that, we see that on-base [percentage] get to a really attractive place.”