The reset for Anthony Volpe ended Tuesday night, with the shortstop back in the lineup after two straight games on the bench.
And though he made a bid for his 19th homer of the season with a blast to the track in center in the bottom of the eighth, it fell short in another rough night for the slumping Volpe in a 5-1 win over the Nationals.
“Hits one 106 [mph] to the wrong part [of the ballpark] the last at-bat,” Aaron Boone said. “He had some good swings, got out in front of some breaking balls. He was OK.”
Volpe ended up 0-for-4 to extend his hitless streak to 19, while also in a 1-for-32 slide.
Those numbers are part of what led to him sitting out the series finale against Boston and Monday’s win over the Nationals.
Volpe was clearly impacted by the brief benching, saying he would “take it on the chin” and respond positively.
That effort began against the Nationals in The Bronx, after a pair of games started by right-handers before Volpe was back in there against Washington lefty MacKenzie Gore.
Now, they’ll see how the strategy of giving the 24-year-old an unwanted break worked.
Prior to Tuesday’s game, Aaron Boone insisted it wasn’t meant as a mental break, though that could be one of the results of the situation.
“This wasn’t me saying, ‘I need you to get away mentally,’ ” Boone said of Volpe, who was used as a defensive replacement Sunday but didn’t get in Monday’s game. “I don’t view him in that frame of mind. … I’m not reading into it as much as the questions [I’m getting] are.”
Perhaps, but it was the first time the Yankees opted to sit him for multiple games, and it came in the midst of another tailspin at the plate.
And even with Boone and other team officials noting Volpe’s defense —which has lagged this season — had improved in recent weeks, he still made mistakes in the games leading up to being replaced at short by José Caballero.
Volpe’s performance over the next several weeks could impact how the organization looks at the position going forward.
With the arrival of Caballero from Tampa Bay prior to the trade deadline, the Yankees have a capable backup at the spot — something they didn’t have once Oswaldo Cabrera got hurt and Oswald Peraza proved incapable of hitting in the majors prior to being traded to the Angels last month.
The Yankees value Caballero for his defensive versatility and perhaps he could fill in for Volpe once a week or more down the stretch if they believe Volpe will benefit from more rest.
But what the Yankees really need to find out as they enter the stretch run is how to fix Volpe at the plate.
And the goal is the same the Yankees have had for most of Volpe’s major league career: to get him to avoid the lengthy slumps that have become such a part of his resume.
“I hope he starts to turn a corner here offensively and gets hot again for us,’’ Boone said. “He’s very capable. The biggest thing for him here his first few seasons is the ups and the downs, the peaks and valleys offensively. He’s worked hard at being more consistent.”
Now, he just has to do it.
If not, the Yankees will have to come up with another plan.
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