For those of you following along at home, Anthony Volpe had been red hot in Scranton for the past few weeks as he revamped his swing. Rather than mindlessly swinging for home runs in every at bat (Yankee system-wide credo under the leadership of Brian Cashman), somehow Volpe must have gotten permission to actually change his swing to get base hits. Blasphemy!! Outrageous!! The Yankees pride themselves on developing .220 hitters who strike out a third of the time so this obviously required approval from the highest level of Baseball Operations.
OK, I will behave. The net result is that Volpe is actually hitting more home runs but he is using a much more level swing now. Jazz Chisholm gets hurt (after finally starting to hit a bit) and Volpe, in his first start back now playing 2nd base, gets 3 hits including a grand slam.
Note to Aaron Boone: Volpe is on a heater. Maybe, just maybe, you put him in the lineup every day now for the rest of the regular season at 2nd base or even shortstop. And come October, even if Jazz returns to action, you keep him on the roster and find a place in the lineup for him to play. And yes: SU says that may mean you sit Lombard Jr. or even leave him off the October roster. Personally, I would leave off someone else (even Jazz if his thumb has not healed or anyone else). Volpe took his demotion like a man and reworked his swing. Started playing at 2nd base too. Reward the effort. Did not complain and make a fuss.
Contrast him with Jasson Dominguez who has wasted every opportunity to earn more playing time this year. Actually very sad as he is a good kid but clearly needs a change of scenery. Another overhyped Yankee prospect (I believe in the dictionary if you look up “overhyped”, you see pictures of Yankee prospects but not sure).
And for Boone/Cashman, the same holds true for Spencer Jones. Keeps his head on straight and does the work. He is your October centerfielder. No need to keep Trent Grisham around and his jogging speed in the outfield. Play the home-grown young guys and roll the dice. And he can hit lefties.
Surely these are easy calls by management. And surely they are going to screw it up. SU has spoken.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
I was at the game last night and was shocked by the crowd’s reaction to Volpe. So much enthusiasm. Not just after the hits and grand slam but even when the lineups were announced. I’m pretty sure there would have been boos the last time his name was announced so it was interesting how the crowd can forget the past and be optimistic. And he sure did deliver.
The lineup last night, even without Judge, looked so much better than it has for much of the season. I really believe that the lineup and the team’s demeanor overall is much better without Chisholm and Caballero. Who knows because there could be another 5 injuries by playoff time but I would try to stick to lineups like last night’s.
One other thing. The Rockies’ record is terrible but it does not convey how bad a team they are. At times this season I was horrified by some Yankees lineups that looked like minor league lineups. Well my concerns were nothing compared to what Rockies fans must go through. There were plays in the field that little leaguers get chewed out for. It feels like MLB doesn’t have the talent to fill out all these rosters. I know it will never happen, but I wonder if things would improve if there were 4-6 fewer teams.