Anthony Volpe had been in the minors for five weeks when the Yankees called him up on September 10, 2026. In his first plate appearance with the bases loaded, he crushed a grand slam off Rockies reliever Jimmy Herget, finished the night 3-for-4 with five RBI, and got a curtain call at Yankee Stadium. Not a bad way to come back.
But the moment was bigger than just one player’s return. According to OptaStats, the Yankees became the first team in MLB history to have their shortstop and second baseman hit grand slams on consecutive days.
The Demotion and What Happened in Triple-A
On August 4, the Yankees sent Volpe down to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The reason was straightforward: George Lombard Jr. had taken over as the starting shortstop, and Volpe’s bat wasn’t doing enough to hold a roster spot. His .647 OPS in 57 games and .290 xwOBA — Statcast’s projection of what he should be producing based on contact quality — painted the picture of a hitter making contact without doing real damage.
Something clicked in Triple-A. In his final 13 games before the call-up, Volpe hit .388 (19-for-49) with eight home runs — ten home runs in 28 total games. When Jazz Chisholm Jr. went on the 10-day IL with a thumb sprain, the Yankees had seen enough.
One important note: Volpe didn’t come back as a shortstop. That’s Lombard Jr.’s position now. He was called up to play second base, a role he developed during his time in the minors this stretch. It’s a different chapter than the 2023–2025 version of Volpe, the starting SS who helped get New York to the ALCS.
The Swing That Wrote a Record
Seventh inning, Yankees up 6-2, bases loaded. Herget threw a sinker on a 1-1 count. Volpe sent it to right field. Grand slam. The stadium — the same one that had been cheering Lombard Jr.’s hits just weeks earlier — gave Volpe a curtain call. That’s a rare gesture for any player, let alone one who was in the minors a few weeks ago.
The night before, September 9, Lombard Jr. had hit his first career grand slam. Two grand slams on back-to-back days from the shortstop and second baseman of the same team: never done before in MLB history, per OptaStats. The context makes it even more striking — heading into this series against Colorado, the Yankees were one of only two teams in all of MLB without a single grand slam in the 2026 season. They now have two in 48 hours.
Volpe also made the individual franchise record books. According to data from Katie Sharp (@SharpStats17), he became the first Yankee to record at least 3 hits, 5 RBI, and a stolen base in the same game since Alex Rodríguez on August 14, 2010. His final line: 3-for-4, 5 RBI (a new career high), and his first home run since May 26, 2026.
You can track his contact metrics for the rest of the season on his Statcast profile.
What It Means for the Yankees with 16 Games Left
The three-game sweep of the Rockies (55-91) moved New York to 84-62. The Tampa Bay Rays lead the AL East at 87-59 — a three-game gap with 16 to play. The Yankees hold a 4.5-game lead over the Boston Red Sox (80-67) for the first AL Wild Card spot.
Max Fried started the game and is still working his way back after returning from the IL with a bone bruise in his left elbow — he struck out seven in 3.1 innings on 80 pitches. John Schreiber picked up the win. But the story of the night belonged to Volpe.
What his role looks like in October is still unclear. The call-up was to cover Chisholm’s IL stint, and sources aren’t confirming anything beyond that. For now, he has a grand slam, a curtain call, and a place in the record books. The rest is still to be written.
The Numbers
- 194 plate appearances in 2026
- 2 home runs, 24 RBI
- AVG: .240 | OPS: .647
- xwOBA: .290 (what Statcast projects he should be producing by contact quality)
- Average exit velocity: 87.8 mph
- Barrel rate: 4%
- Hard-hit rate: 35.4% (balls hit 95+ mph)
- Sprint speed: 79th percentile
