Anthony Volpe: A Quick Stop at Home on his Journey Back

Bridgewater, New Jersey – When Somerset opened a six-game series with Reading on April 14, a distant, yet familiar face patrolled short with a No. 7 jersey on his back in Patriots pinstripes. For the first time in 1,347 days, Anthony Volpe had returned. The hometown boy was back, even if only for a brief rehab assignment.

It was just like old times - fans crowded the dugout tunnel in hopes of catching a glimpse and maybe even scoring an autograph. Little leaguers raised encouraging signs rooting on the Yankees shortstop while his family, including his dog Jedi, were in attendance for the rehab milestone.

“It’s very nostalgic,” Volpe said. “At the same time when I left here, I never wanted to come back – in a good way. It’s like a family here, for sure, so to come back to that and to see other guys in your shoes is cool.”

Volpe underwent offseason surgery to repair a partially torn left labrum that has cost him the beginning of the MLB season. The speedy infielder played in four games for Somerset against Reading last week and slashed .364/.417/.364 with two stolen bases while playing solid defense at shortstop. It was the first box checked, a milestone of sorts, as Volpe hopes to find himself back in the Bronx before too long.

“It just feels comfortable [being here]and it brings back a lot of memories,” Volpe said. “I’m just excited to play. I could be playing at Himes in Tampa or out here. It’s just good to get back on the field and in games.”

Since the Patriots became the Yankees Double-A affiliate in 2021, the club has played a pivotal role in developing and producing 51 eventual major league players. While some have ultimately made the Majors with other franchises, 23 have done it wearing pinstripes in the Bronx. Of that crop within the Yankees organization, Volpe will always stand out for what he means to the Somerset County area.

An argument could be made that Volpe remains the most hyped prospect ever to suit up for the Patriots. Volpe entered 2022 ranked as high as the No. 8 prospect in the game by MLB Pipeline, and as a 21-year-old, authored endless big moments that eventually led the Patriots to the postseason, ultimately securing their first and only championship as an Eastern League member.

Despite being four seasons removed from his stint in Somerset, Volpe is locally regarded as the player most synonymous with the team. In 2022, Volpe played in 110 games with the Patriots slashing .251/.348/.472 with 18 HR, 60 RBI and a team-leading 44 SB before winning a Gold Glove award in 2023 and becoming the first rookie in Yankees history to hit at least 20 home runs and steal at least 20 bases.

Now 24 years old, Volpe grew up in Watchung, New Jersey and attended Delbarton High School in Morristown, less than 25 miles north of TD Bank Ballpark. It is special to be the face of an organization’s farm system, but the opportunity to do it in your backyard with your family on hand most nights is like a tale from a storybook.

The return of Volpe to Somerset marked the 47th different Yankees big leaguer to rehab with the team during its affiliated tenure. Not that long ago, Volpe was the hot shot prospect in the clubhouse picking the brain of players like Giancarlo Stanton, Harrison Bader and Luis Severino on his climb through the ranks. Many of the younger prospects now turn to Volpe for wisdom as an MLB veteran, a role that he fully embraced during the first rehab assignment of his young career.

Yankees top-prospect George Lombard Jr. is off to a torrid start to the season with a .365/.433/1.087 slash line after a tough first taste of Double-A after drawing outside criticism this past offseason from pundits questioning his long-term offensive projection. Despite that noise, the 20-year-old shortstop has let his play on the field speak volumes.

Not that long ago, Volpe was following an uncannily similar story. Both shortstops were viewed as future cornerstone pieces for the Yankees that faced scrutiny and carried heavy outside expectations in Double-A, while playing in the upper-levels for the first time at a below league average age.

There are few players that can walk into a room and understand what Lombard Jr. is facing as a former first rounder in the Yankees organization, but Volpe is one of a handful that can provide guidance and advice to the current 20-year-old shortstop.

“I just want to be available to any of the guys for whatever they need,” Volpe said. “Maybe I was lucky, but when I was in that same position, it wasn’t really important to me [outside expectations and rankings]. I just wanted to make the big league club and develop and be the best player that I could be. Even if it was whatever I was ranked, I just wanted to make it. I don’t want to speak for anyone else, but I don’t think it does for him [Lombard Jr.], too. He just wants to be great and help us win.”

When speaking to the media during the Reading series, manager James Cooper mentioned that the interactions between the two shortstops were of unquantifiable value for Lombard Jr. as he continues to grow at the Double-A level. Cooper specifically detailed the normal exchanges, whether on or off the field allowing Lombard Jr. to pick up tiny nuggets even in passing. Similarly, Lombard Jr. noted Volpe’s experience and the similarity of their journeys being insightful for him.

“He’s a guy that made it to the highest level and had success at the highest level and has also dealt with the heat and the criticism of being up there and all the way through as well,” Lombard Jr. said. “He’s kind of been there and done that with everything that I’m at now so he is definitely a good person to pick his brain and ask him questions.”

Volpe looked back at his time in the minor leagues and reflected on how he has grown both personally and professionally. Things began to click with repetition and maturity and as four years have come and gone, the New Jersey-native now realizes that winning is the ultimate prize but doing it alongside teammates is what brings the true reward.

“It’s amazing to be a Yankee,” Volpe said. “When you play every single day and you just show up to the ballpark ready to win. Thinking about it, when I was here [in Somerset], you just wanted to win for the team, the organization, but I didn’t know my teammates. Now wanting to win for my teammates is as big as anything.”

As he readies himself to suit up for the Yankees in 2026, the road to return last week led him right back home.

“I’m just focused on coming back and helping the team any way I can,” Volpe said. “I feel like we have an amazing group of guys, an amazing squad, that can literally win the World Series, so that’s what’s the most motivating for me.”

Matt Kardos | SomersetPatriots.com Senior Writer

Matt Kardos has covered the Yankees minor league system for over a decade and will spend his 14th season on the beat covering the Patriots for SomersetPatriots.com. Throughout his career, Matt has contributed to MLB.com, YES Network and Pinstriped Prospects. When he’s not at the ballpark, Matt enjoys traveling with his wife Kimberly, watching Jets football and collecting sports cards.