THE YANKEES FAILED OSWALDO CABRERA

There are Yankee moves that make you scratch your head. Then there are Yankee moves that make you wonder if anybody in that front office actually remembers what building a baseball team is supposed to look like.

Designating Oswaldo Cabrera for assignment falls into the second category.

The Yankees DFA’d Cabrera Wednesday to clear a 40-man roster spot for Clarke Schmidt. Technically, that’s the transaction.

But this is bigger than a roster spot.

This is about how the Yankees continue to treat certain players like disposable parts while seemingly giving others every opportunity imaginable to prove they belong.

And Cabrera deserved better.

This is a guy who did whatever the Yankees asked him to do.

Third base? Sure. Second? No problem. Shortstop? He’d do it. Outfield? Give him a glove. Sit on the bench for a week and then suddenly get thrown into the lineup somewhere he hadn’t played in a month?

Oswaldo Cabrera would smile and say, “Let’s go.” Was he a superstar? Of course not. That’s not the point.

Cabrera was exactly the kind of player championship teams need — a versatile, energetic utility player who understood his role, never complained and was willing to do just about anything to help the New York Yankees win.

And after battling back from that horrific ankle injury, Cabrera went to Triple-A and hit .288 with a .790 OPS this season.

His reward? DFA. Beautiful.

Meanwhile, we continue to hear about Anthony Volpe. 

CC Sabathia recently talked about Volpe’s “perseverance and determination,” and look, I understand CC’s point. Volpe didn't quit when the Yankees finally sent him to Triple-A. He worked. He made adjustments. He learned second base even though he didn't want to. He hit the baseball down there.

Good for him. Seriously. But perseverance cannot become another excuse for pretending the previous four years didn't happen. Volpe entered this latest opportunity with an 85 wRC+ across parts of four major-league seasons. This year, before his demotion, he was hitting .240/.325/.322 with one home run in 56 games.

At some point, Major League Baseball has to be about major-league production. And let's also stop rewriting the reason Volpe came back.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. hurt his thumb and went on the injured list. The Yankees suddenly needed another second baseman. José Caballero had already stepped in at second, but Caballero's value to this roster is his ability to move around the diamond.

So Volpe got the call. That's roster necessity. That's different from the Yankees suddenly deciding Anthony Volpe had conquered Triple-A and earned his triumphant return to the Bronx.

Maybe Volpe has figured something out. Who knows. I really don't care anymore.

The Yankees' fascination with making Anthony Volpe happen has gone on long enough that fans have every right to question why the standards appear different depending on whose name is on the back of the uniform.

Because that's what bothers me about Cabrera. Oswaldo Cabrera earned the right to be useful to this team. He accepted every role. He played everywhere. He came back from a devastating injury. He produced in Scranton. And the Yankees still decided he was expendable.

The Yankees decided preserving their pitching depth and keeping their other roster possibilities open was more important than keeping Cabrera on the 40-man roster.

That's their right. But fans have the right to call it what it looks like, too. Another good Yankee gets squeezed while the organization continues bending over backward to find roles and opportunities for players it has decided are part of the plan.

That's the problem. It's not that Anthony Volpe shouldn't have been recalled when Jazz went down. The roster situation made the move understandable.

It's that Oswaldo Cabrera seemingly never received the same runway.

One player gets patience. Another gets DFA'd. One gets talked about in terms of determination and development. The other does everything asked of him, fights his way back from a gruesome injury, hits .288 in Triple-A and gets shown the door.

Oswaldo Cabrera wasn't Aaron Judge. Nobody ever claimed he was. He was something every good baseball team needs. A good Yankee. A useful Yankee. A selfless Yankee.

And once again, the Yankees somehow found a way to make that guy the expendable one. Maybe another organization claims Cabrera and actually appreciates what he brings to a roster.

I hope they do. Because Oswaldo Cabrera earned his opportunity. The Yankees just decided someone else deserved it more. And we've seen that movie before.

YANKEES FIRE FIVE SCOUTS; HYDE & HENDRY SURVIVE

The Yankees are not waiting for the offseason to begin cleaning house.

According to industry sources, the organization has dismissed five members of its international scouting department as part of a planned overhaul. Gone are José Sabino; Arturo Peña Jr., the club’s Cibao-area scout in the Dominican Republic; Santo Domingo-area scout Moises Brito; video assistant Miguel Mojica; and Venezuela supervisor José Gavidia.

Those dismissals came just days after the Yankees separated from longtime international scout Victor Mata, who spent more than 30 years with the organization. Mata reportedly played a role in evaluating and signing Robinson Canó, Alfonso Soriano and Gary Sánchez.

That is a significant shakeup—and the timing is impossible to ignore. The regular season is not even over, the Yankees are headed toward October and the organization has offered no public explanation for the sudden changes.

Clearly, somebody inside the Yankee hierarchy believes the scouting operation needs fixing.

Us here at Bleeding Yankee Blue has questioned Yankee scouts and their evaluation process for years. Most recently, we examined the unusual favoritism surrounding Anthony Volpe and questioned how he became the Yankees’ starting shortstop after being rushed through Triple-A.

That brings me to Matt Hyde and Jim Hendry.

Both men remain employed by the Yankees.

Our investigation in, HOW YANKEE SCOUTS LOST THEIR WAY IN THE VOLPE RECRUITMENT detailed Hyde’s longstanding relationship with Volpe and his relentless internal campaign to promote him. Hendry, meanwhile, developed a close relationship with the Volpe family before the draft and was reportedly present years later when Volpe learned he had made the Major League roster.

Maybe the Yankees see nothing wrong with any of that. I do.

If the organization is willing to overhaul its international scouting department and dismiss longtime employees, it is fair to ask why Hyde and Hendry have escaped scrutiny after becoming so personally invested in a player whose performance has never matched the enormous organizational hype.

Perhaps they are simply praying that Volpe eventually becomes the star they promised everyone he would be. If that happens, they can declare victory and skate.

Until then, the question remains:

Why were five scouts fired while Hyde and Hendry are still collecting Yankee paychecks? My opinion? I find it weird.

Stay tuned.

VOLPE HAD HIS MOMENT & THE YANKEES STILL LOST

Maybe I’m getting old. Maybe I’ve watched too many Yankees teams that actually finished the job.

But can we please stop celebrating every little moment like we just won Game 7 of the World Series?

The Yankees lost to the Twins Wednesday, 5-4, in 13 innings. They had chances. Lots of them. Anthony Volpe delivered a two-out, two-run double to tie the game. The Yankees took leads in both the 10th and 11th. Then they loaded the bases with nobody out in the 12th and somehow scored nobody. Minnesota eventually walked it off in the 13th.

Yet watching Yankees social media after Volpe tied the game, you would have thought the Canyon of Heroes parade route was being mapped out. And yes, I’m picking on Volpe because everybody knows I’m not exactly president of his fan club. But this really isn't about him.

It's about the constant need to manufacture stars and manufacture moments.

A big hit happens? Clip it. Slow motion. Dramatic celebration. Everybody loses their minds.

Wonderful.

They lost the game. That’s the part that actually matters.

It reminds me of how we still see Aaron Boone’s home run off Tim Wakefield in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. Was it incredible? Absolutely. I remember exactly how that felt.

But here's another thing I remember:

The Yankees didn't win the World Series.

Florida did.

Volpe is Boone. I think that's why Boone glazes him so much.  He sees so much in him. My opinion of course.

And maybe that makes me different from today's marketing department, but I don't want moments. I want championships. I want moments when championships and wins happen, not when they lose. When they lose, I don't care.

Meanwhile, the biggest story Wednesday wasn't Volpe's double anyway.

It was Aaron Judge leaving the game.

Judge was removed in the sixth inning because of tightness in his lower right leg. He said he first felt it while playing the field in the first inning and tried to continue before deciding it wasn't worth risking something worse. This was only his seventh game back after missing more than three months with a stress fracture in his right rib. Judge indicated afterward that he probably wouldn't need imaging, but we'll see.

That's the story I'm worried about.

Because we've already watched this Yankee season without Judge for far too long. The last thing this team needs, with October approaching, is another Judge injury.

So spare me the premature celebrations.

I'm a Yankee fan. I want this team to win. I desperately want to get excited about them. But give me something worth celebrating. Win the games.

Win in October. Win the World Series.

Then post every damn video you've got.

Until then, they're just moments.

And Wednesday's big "moment" ended exactly where too many of these Yankee moments eventually end:

With somebody else celebrating.

CC SABATHIA COMMENDS VOLPE'S PERSEVERANCE WHILE FANS CONDEMN HIM!

We don't need a reminder about how brutally honest the New York Yankee fan base is, and neither does CC Sabathia. Fans didn't hold back when he was playing, and they still don't. The only difference now might be that there may be more CC's out there to support those underperforming players.

That's what he is doing now, he's supporting Gary Sanchez, Miguel Andujar and last but not least Anthony Volpe, read more HERE. These guys were given "labels" from the fan base, which happens a lot when you don't meet expectations underneath New York's bright lights. For years we have been writing about how the Yankees coddle their players and but now CC wants the Yankees to also help them adapt to this demanding environment.

I agree with that to a point. New York is a tough place to play for established veterans, let alone when you are a young kid like Volpe was making it onto the big stage as an everyday player. There should be some mental preparation there for players, but it should also be prepared with the confidence of pairing that with good fundamentals to help you perform at a high level under those bright lights. If you have that track record of faltering (like Volpe has) that's when the Yankees need to be more hands on. It's exactly what the Yankees haven't done well.

Everyone in life needs feedback. It's what helps us improve and hone in on our craft. The Yankees do need to look for new ways to help guys deal with the pressures in the bright lights but maybe that doesn't look like what CC is suggesting. Maybe it's a more real-world scenario that the rest of us deal with since we don't make the big bucks playing a kid's game for a living.

The Yankees coddle; I call it the Aaron Boone approach. He's warm and fuzzy. The Bronx, however, is not a warm and fuzzy place. It's as real as it gets. Why aren't we giving that fair, but realistic approach to these guys? This isn't a sunshine and rainbows environment. This isn't a "safe space." This is a 'pull your big boy pants up and be tough' environment and get the job done. Figure it out and use your resources. The Yankees have lots of resources and patience. The fans don't have the patience, and we shouldn't be expected to have patience.

You can still give honest feedback that is firm but fair. It builds character. Hugs are not included on the side here. That's what Boone and the Yankees do. They give hugs, but they don't give reality. Give these guys a real environment to adapt in and help them through the bumps and they will perform better, period. If they don't, then they get sent down to the minors like Volpe did or traded. 

Only the strong survive here, and the Yankees need to figure that out. The coddling isn't working. Not everyone is cut out to play here so it's time to be honest about that. 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE HIGHLIGHT OF YESTERDAY? MEETING BALD VINNY IN THE FLESH

I hadn't been to a Yankee game in two years. And quite frankly, the only reason I went Saturday was because I was invited. I'm certainly not paying for a ticket while Aaron Boone is still at the helm.

Turns out, I didn't miss much.

The Yankees were absolutely awful in a 12-2 embarrassment against the Mets. Gerrit Cole set the tone immediately, surrendering three home runs and five runs on nine hits in just 4 1/3 innings. That's now seven homers allowed in his last two starts. This is supposed to be the ace we're counting on when October arrives? Figure it out, Gerrit. Quickly.

The offense wasn't much better. Cody Bellinger at least showed up, driving in both Yankee runs, including a homer. Aaron Judge went hitless, and Anthony Volpe appears to be settling nicely back into his normal JV ways, killing one of the Yankees' few opportunities by grounding into an inning-ending double play in the seventh. Welcome back.

Meanwhile, the Mets hit six home runs and basically used Yankee Stadium for batting practice. Francisco Lindor started the game with a homer and later added a grand slam just to make sure the humiliation was complete.

The highlight of my day? It had absolutely nothing to do with the game.

I finally got to meet Bald Vinny in person outside Billy's. That was worth the trip. Total businessman, solid hustler, got to appreciate this dude. Last time I met him was 2013. It's been years.

But baseball? Not so much.

Twelve runs allowed. Seven lousy hits. Two runs scored. An ace getting knocked around and an offense that looked lifeless.

Two years away from Yankee Stadium, and this is what I came back to?

Maybe I'll wait another two.

LOOK WHO SHOWED UP? YANKS SWEEP ROCKIES

Anthony Volpe finally did something to help the New York Yankees win a baseball game.

There. I said it.

In his return from Triple-A, Volpe went 3-for-4, drove in five runs and launched a grand slam as the Yankees beat Colorado 10-3 and completed the sweep. It was a hell of a game. Give him credit. He showed up when his number was called.

But everybody relax. I'm still not buying Anthony Volpe. 

First off, there were other Yankees who deserve some attention from last night. Luis García Jr. launched his 30th homer of the season, a two-run shot that got things started. Spencer Jones delivered a huge two-run single in the seventh. Cody Bellinger drove in a run, and Max Fried struck out seven while allowing just one run, although it took him 80 pitches to get through 3.1 innings. The bullpen did enough from there.

That's called a team win.

We aren't asking Volpe to be Derek Jeter. We're not asking him to be a superstar. We're asking him to become something resembling the player Yankee scouts told us he was going to be. That's it. Like Jesus, bat .280 on the year.

We've spent years hearing about the talent, the upside and the potential. Meanwhile, we've watched the inconsistency. So, one huge night against a Colorado team that has lost 100 games doesn't suddenly erase everything we've already seen. I'm a realist.

Was Volpe's adrenaline pumping after getting recalled? Absolutely. Did he look energized? Sure. Did he have a great game? Damn right.

But we've seen this movie before. A big game. A little hope. Everyone starts screaming that Volpe has "figured it out." Then comes another stretch where we're wondering what happened.

So, spare me the redemption tour after one night. I've been fooled for 3 years with this guy.

Am I happy for Volpe? No. I'm happy the Yankees won.

Volpe did his job, exactly what he was supposed to do. That's what I'm happy about. There is way too much emphasis placed on the fact that Anthony Volpe did it instead of what actually matters: the Yankees need to win this division.

So that's the story. This isn't about rebuilding Anthony Volpe's confidence or proving the Yankees were right about him. September isn't about protecting prospects, organizational pride or winning arguments.

It's about winning baseball games. Volpe helped them do that last night. Good. Do it again.

And again. Because one grand slam doesn't change my opinion of Anthony Volpe. But helping the Yankees get to first place might.

That's the standard now.

Win the damn division.

LOMBARD GOES GRAND. VOLPE GETS ANOTHER LIFE

George Lombard Jr. gave Yankee fans the moment of the night.

With Spencer Jones working a two-out walk to help load the bases, Lombard stepped up and crushed an opposite-field grand slam — the first of his career and the Yankees’ first grand slam of the season.

The kid continues to impress.

Jones deserves credit, too. Two walks, patience at the plate and another contribution from a young player who looks like he belongs.

And Will Warren? Six strong innings, one run and eight strikeouts. Exactly what the Yankees needed.

Then came the news that made me roll my eyes.

Anthony Volpe is coming back.

With Jazz Chisholm Jr. suffering a thumb sprain, Volpe will rejoin the major league roster Thursday. And apparently we're going to force this experiment into second base now?

Why?

José Caballero is already here. He can play second. Let him.

I simply don't care about the Anthony Volpe experiment anymore. He had his opportunity. It was a long time. The Yankees finally sent him to Triple-A, Lombard took over at shortstop, and the kid has brought energy and excitement.

Why are we still trying to manufacture opportunities for Volpe?

At some point, stop trying to prove you're right about a player and just play the guys who give you the best chance to win.

This is the kind of organizational nonsense that makes it hard for me to root for this team sometimes.

Lombard is giving you something special. Don't screw it up.

WHY ARE WE FORCING VOLPE ON THE NEW YORK YANKEES?

Apparently, Anthony Volpe is Barry Bonds now.

Wonderful.

Alert Cooperstown. Somebody get the plaque ready. Jasson Dominguez says Volpe has “become Barry Bonds” down in Triple-A, and while I understand a teammate pumping up another teammate, can we please come back to planet Earth for five freaking minutes?

Barry Bonds? Anthony Volpe has five homers in his last five games in Scranton. That's terrific.

Barry Bonds hit 762 home runs in the major leagues.

Small difference.

And before everybody starts screaming that I'm picking on poor Anthony again, understand something: I'm actually happy Volpe is hitting. Since being sent down, he's put up good numbers — .299/.393/.701 with 10 homers over 97 plate appearances.

Bravo. Seriously. Now leave him the hell down there.

Why is that controversial?

We've spent three years watching the Yankees try to hammer a square peg into a round hole while insisting that if they just hammer hard enough, eventually we're all going to see the superstar they promised us.

I'm tired. How many Anthony Volpe auditions does one organization get? He struggled. We waited. He struggled some more. We waited some more.

More adjustments. More patience. More Aaron Boone speeches about how Anthony is “really close.” Close to what?

Because apparently he's finally arrived — in Scranton. Maybe this isn't a comeback story. Maybe it's a discovery. Maybe we've finally located Anthony Volpe's natural habitat.

Triple-A.

Mean? Not really. This is reality. It's the article you will not read anywhere else. Sometimes honesty needs to peak through the looniness of this entire story.  Perhaps we've learned something incredibly important here.

When the lights aren't as bright, when Yankee Stadium isn't packed, when the New York media isn't hovering and when 40,000 people aren't wondering why you just chased another slider off the plate...

Anthony Volpe can rake. Great. Unfortunately, Yankee Stadium isn't moving to Scranton. The Bronx doesn't come with training wheels. Maybe New York is simply too damn big for Anthony Volpe.

It happens. Some guys walk into Yankee Stadium and become bigger. Other guys get swallowed by it. Maybe Volpe needs Miami or Kansas City. Seriously.

Send him somewhere he can play second base on a Tuesday night without every at-bat becoming a referendum on whether he's the next Derek Jeter. Let him breathe. Let him play. Let him figure himself out somewhere that doesn't require him to carry Yankee expectations around like a refrigerator strapped to his back.

Because I already know what's coming. September. Expanded rosters. Volpe keeps hitting bombs in Scranton. And somewhere inside Yankee Stadium, Aaron Boone starts getting that look in his eye. You know the look. His boy toy is hitting again. And Boone is going to want his boy toy back.

“Anthony's in a really good place right now.”

Oh, Jesus Christ. Here we go again. Boone's crush is coming home. Then we'll get the press conference.

“He's worked really hard. He's made some adjustments. We really like where he's at. He's impacting the baseball.”

Maybe Boone will even tell us he's been “elite.” They love that word over there. And before Volpe's Scranton apartment has even cooled off, Volpe will be back in the Bronx and we'll begin another exciting season of Everybody Pretend Anthony Volpe Has Finally Figured It Out.

Why?

Leave. Him. Down. There.

For once, let the kid actually develop. If he's finally comfortable, let him stay comfortable. Give him 200 more plate appearances. Give him 300. Hell call him Scranton's Captain for crying out loud!

Let him destroy Triple-A pitching until the International League files a restraining order.

There is absolutely no rule saying that because Anthony Volpe gets hot in Scranton, the Yankees must immediately drag him back to New York to see whether he can find a brand-new way to disappoint everybody.

Meanwhile, George Lombard Jr. is here and he's better anyway. So play him! Stop treating the Yankees' major-league roster like Boone's boy toy has a lifetime membership.

And please stop pretending Triple-A success means the Yankees were right about Volpe all along.

Maybe the scouts weren't completely wrong about Anthony Volpe. Maybe they just had the wrong league... on the smaller stage, without the suffocating pressure and expectations of New York, Anthony Volpe really can be a star.

Beautiful.

Then let him be the Babe Ruth of Scranton. Let him hit 40... 60.

I'll send flowers.

But until Anthony Volpe proves he can consistently hit major-league pitching, spare me the Barry Bonds comparisons. Barry Bonds terrorized major-league pitchers.

Anthony Volpe is currently terrorizing Triple-A.

Pump the freaking breaks, Jasson.

This one's for you Boh.

GEORGE LOMBARD JR. IS FINE. LET THE KID ADJUST.

Can we please stop doing this?

George Lombard Jr. makes a few errors and suddenly people are examining the kid like he's been playing shortstop in the Bronx for five years.

He's 21. He's been here for about five minutes. And quite frankly, George Lombard Jr. has been one of the most refreshing things to happen to this Yankees team all season.

The kid has energy. He has confidence. He has range. He has an arm. He moves like an actual shortstop. And we've already watched him get to baseballs that Yankees infielders weren't getting to earlier this year.

Paul O'Neill has noticed it too.

O'Neill has praised Lombard's natural defensive ability on YES and essentially told everyone to relax about the recent errors. He's talked about the plays Lombard can make, his range and his ability to handle the position.

I'll take Paul O'Neill's eyes over somebody counting errors on a stat sheet after two weeks.

And here's the other thing:

STOP TRYING TO TURN GEORGE LOMBARD JR. INTO ANTHONY VOLPE.

Seriously. Stop. This isn't about Volpe. This is about Lombard. They're different players. Different circumstances. Different skill sets. Different stories.

Every time Lombard makes an error, we don't need a referendum on Yankee shortstops. The Yankees shouldn't panic. The fans shouldn't panic. And Lombard certainly shouldn't start playing scared because everybody suddenly expects perfection from a kid who was in the minor leagues a few weeks ago.

Want to know what young players do?

They screw up. Then they adjust. Then they get better. That's baseball.

One of Lombard's recent mistakes came down to something as simple as glove positioning. That's not some catastrophic revelation that the kid can't field. That's a mechanical mistake.

You fix it. You move on. What you can't teach nearly as easily is the stuff Lombard already has. Range. Arm strength. Athleticism. Instinct. Confidence.

That's the package I'm interested in.

And there's something else about Lombard that doesn't show up in a box score. The Yankees look comfortable with him out there. He looks comfortable being there. There isn't that feeling that everybody is holding their breath waiting for something to happen.

He's playing baseball. Let him. That's what has made Lombard such a breath of fresh air. He's young. He's exciting. He's aggressive. And he carries himself like a kid who believes he belongs in the Bronx.

Will there be growing pains? Of course. We have stated that here at Bleeding Yankee Blue. There damn well better be. He's 21 years old. If we're expecting a finished major-league shortstop two weeks into his career, the problem isn't George Lombard Jr.

It's our expectations. So enough with the panic. Enough with counting every error. And please, enough with the Volpe comparisons. Let George Lombard Jr. be George Lombard Jr.

The talent is there. The confidence is there. The Yankees are behind him. Now give the kid some time. He's going to be just fine. And I have a feeling we're going to be watching him make plays in the Bronx for a very long time.

ALL THE TOOLS ARE THERE. LET LOMBARD COOK.

Let’s state something for the record: since George Lombard Jr. arrived in the big leagues, he has been a breath of fresh air.

Actually, make that a huge breath of fresh air that the Yankees desperately needed. The kid looks like he belongs. He moves like a natural athlete, plays with energy, runs the bases aggressively and — imagine this — actually looks comfortable playing shortstop for the New York Yankees.

 

Since his arrival, the Yankees have been playing better baseball, and Lombard has already found ways to contribute beyond the box score. On Wednesday in Baltimore, for example, he drove in two runs, including the go-ahead run in the eighth inning of a 5-3 Yankees win, not the mention homers, smooth fielding plays, great instincts.

And this is precisely why I have a problem with anyone suddenly reaching for the panic button when the kid screws something up. Because he will screw something up. He's a kid.

Friday night against Toronto, Lombard dropped a foul ball at shortstop. It was an error. It wasn't pretty.

So what?

He's 21 years old.

Back on July 26, before Lombard ever stepped onto a major-league field, I wrote this:

“Will George Lombard Jr. struggle when he gets to New York?

Of course he will. Every rookie does.

Aaron Judge struggled. Derek Jeter struggled.

The difference is those struggles come attached to legitimate upside. They're part of developing a player whose ceiling still looks incredibly high. With Volpe, Yankees fans aren't watching growing pains anymore. They're watching the same movie over and over, hoping the ending changes. It hasn't.”

And that is exactly where I still stand. There is absolutely no comparison between what we're watching with Lombard and what we watched for years with Anthony Volpe.

The Yankees handed Volpe the major-league shortstop job and essentially decided to finish his development in the Bronx. The training wheels were attached while the Yankees were trying to win baseball games. Mistakes became patterns. Patterns became seasons. And eventually Volpe, at 25 years old, was sent back to the minors.

Lombard's situation is totally different. The Yankees drafted him in 2023 and developed him through their system slowly. He earned his promotions. In 2026, he hit .284 with a .411 on-base percentage and .909 OPS in the minors before getting the call.

Then he arrived in New York and immediately looked like he belonged. His first major-league hit was a home run, and he flashed the glove immediately in his debut. As of Saturday morning, Lombard is hitting .292 with a .352 OBP and .790 OPS through his first 48 major-league at-bats.

That's not a finished product. That's the point. Lombard is a kid playing Major League Baseball. There will be errors. There will be bad at-bats. There will eventually be a slump because major-league pitchers have this annoying habit of adjusting to hitters. Then Lombard will have to adjust back. But let me be clear, it will be nothing in comparison to Anthony Volpe. Volpe was not ready and the Yankees forced him down our throats. Lombard? Lombard IS ready.

That's why I don't want to hear the overreaction if Lombard make a mistake. He's going to make rookie mistakes because — breaking news — he's a rookie.   I believed Lombard would eventually grab the spotlight because the athletic ability was obvious. Now we're seeing it.

So, enjoy the kid. Let him play. Let him screw up occasionally. And when he eventually goes 2-for-20 and somebody declares that pitchers have “figured him out,” everybody please remember what we're actually watching. We're not watching Anthony Volpe all over again.

We're watching a 21-year-old legitimate major-league talent learning how to become a major-league star. There is a very big difference.

And right now, George Lombard Jr. looks like he belongs exactly where he is.

MAYBE AUSTIN WELLS JUST ISN'T GOOD

At some point, you have to stop calling it a slump.

Austin Wells is hitting .175. He hit .219 last year and .229 the year before that. His career average sits around .213.

Folks, maybe this isn't a season-long slump. Maybe Austin Wells just isn't that good. I know. The framing. The defense. The underlying metrics. The expected numbers. I've heard it all.

Wonderful. Maybe the Yankees can hang a TRYING banner in Monument Park.

Eventually your starting catcher has to hit the baseball. Wells has struggled making consistent contact, his power has disappeared for long stretches, and left-handed pitching has made him look completely overmatched. But my bigger problem isn't Wells.

It's the Yankees scouts. What the hell are these people evaluating? Seriously. Because we're watching the Anthony Volpe disaster unfold at the same time. Another highly touted Yankee prospect. Another player we were told was going to be a cornerstone. Another organization-favorite whose actual major-league production never matched the hype.

At what point does somebody investigate the people making these evaluations?

Because Wells and Volpe aren't 17-year-old lottery tickets anymore. We've seen them against major-league pitching. The results matter. Yet the Yankees continually seem more interested in scouting what a player might become than acknowledging what he's actually become.

That's dangerous. And it's becoming a pattern. Potential. Projections. Exit velocity. Athleticism. Makeup. Upside.

How about hits? Wells has shown occasional stretches where the bat comes alive. Great. But a few hot weeks don't erase years of mediocre offensive production. And apparently Wells does have one elite evaluation skill.

Burritos.  The guy became a social-media hit reviewing breakfast burritos and grading them on a 100-point scale. Maybe the Yankees should put him in the scouting department.

At least Wells appears capable of identifying the difference between an 87-point burrito and a 73-point burrito. I'm increasingly unconvinced Yankee scouts can identify the difference between a legitimate everyday major leaguer and another prospect they're desperately hoping becomes one.

That's the problem. We heard the hype with Volpe. We're hearing the excuses with Wells.

Meanwhile, Yankee fans are supposed to wait patiently while the organization tells us their internal numbers see something our eyes apparently don't.

Enough. Sometimes a slump is a slump.

And sometimes the scouts simply got the player wrong.

Maybe that's Austin Wells. Maybe that's Anthony Volpe. And maybe the Yankees need to stop grading their prospects and start taking a very serious look at the people doing the grading.

THE GREAT VOLPE MISREAD

There comes a point when we have to stop talking about Anthony Volpe as if the breakout is always right around the corner.

Maybe this is simply who he is. And maybe the bigger question isn't Anthony Volpe anymore. Maybe it's how the Yankees evaluated him in the first place. Let's get the current numbers straight, because Volpe deserves that much.

Since being demoted again in August, Volpe hasn't been completely helpless at Scranton. In fact, he put together a seven-game hitting streak through August 14, including a 408-foot home run. Then he went 0-for-5 with a strikeout on August 15.

Fine. But can we please stop acting like getting some hits against Triple-A pitching is proof that the Anthony Volpe experiment is suddenly working? He's 25 years old. He's been a major leaguer since 2023. This isn't some 20-year-old prospect getting his first taste of Triple-A. Volpe is down there because after years of being handed the Yankees shortstop job, he still hasn't established himself as a quality Major League hitter.

In 2026 with the Yankees, Volpe hit .240 with one home run in 56 games. His slugging percentage was just .322. After the All-Star break, things became even uglier: .212/.250/.303. Eventually the Yankees finally did what they seemingly refused to do for years. They stopped protecting the idea of Anthony Volpe and started evaluating the actual baseball player. And that brings me back to something Bleeding Yankee Blue raised months ago.

In May, BYB published HOW YANKEE SCOUTS LOST THEIR WAY IN THE VOLPE RECRUITMENT questioning whether people inside the Yankees scouting operation became so invested in Volpe and his family that objective evaluation may have been compromised. My opinion based on my research by the way. That's not a proven allegation of wrongdoing. But after watching this play out, I think it's absolutely fair to question the process.

Because the Yankees didn't merely like Anthony Volpe. They seemed determined to make Anthony Volpe happen. Remember how this started. Before becoming the Yankees' Opening Day shortstop in 2023, Volpe had played just 22 games at Triple-A.

Twenty-two. Then suddenly he wasn't developing in Scranton anymore. He was the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees. He hit .209 with a .283 OBP his rookie season.

Instead of wondering whether they rushed him, the Yankees doubled down. Then they doubled down again. In 2024, the OPS was .657. In 2025, he hit .212 with a .272 OBP. And in 2026, after returning from shoulder surgery, we got another .240 average, one home run and a .646 OPS before the Yankees finally sent him back down. At what point does "development" become organizational stubbornness?

That's why the Yankee scouting and development operation deserves scrutiny. Not because Anthony Volpe was some ridiculous prospect nobody else liked. That's revisionist history. He was legitimately highly regarded and had tremendous minor-league seasons.

The failure was something different. The Yankees appear to have confused potential with readiness. Good scouting isn't simply saying, This kid has talent. Good player development is knowing when that talent is ready for Yankee Stadium. And apparently it wasn't. Worse, once the Yankees committed to Volpe, they seemingly spent years trying to prove their original decision correct.

Bad offensive season? Be patient. Another bad offensive season? He's developing. Defensive problems? He's working through them. Another prolonged slump? Trust the process.

Meanwhile, other players get a bus ticket to Scranton before their laundry is finished. That is why the favoritism question isn't crazy. I can't tell you what happened behind closed doors. Neither can anyone else who wasn't in those rooms. But I can look at the extraordinary runway Anthony Volpe received and ask a very simple question:

Would another Yankee prospect have received the same treatment with the same production?

That's the question the Yankees should have to answer. And now look where we've ended up. The shortstop the Yankees were so convinced was ready in 2023 is back in Triple-A in 2026, learning second base, while George Lombard Jr. has been promoted to play shortstop in the Bronx.

That's not development going according to plan. That's the plan changing because the original one failed. And yes, Volpe getting hits in Scranton is better than him going 0-for-30. Wonderful.

He's supposed to hit Triple-A pitching. He's supposed to look more comfortable there. The standard can't suddenly become, Anthony made a nice play at second base today.

What are we doing here?

This isn't personal against Volpe. He didn't promote himself in 2023. He didn't write the scouting reports. He didn't put himself in the lineup year after year. The Yankees did. They made him believe he was major league ready. That's why, if this experiment ultimately fails, the Yankees shouldn't simply toss Volpe into the pile of prospects who "didn't work out" and move along.

They should examine the entire process. Who decided 22 Triple-A games were enough? Who was pounding the table that he was Major League ready? Why did his leash remain so long despite years of below-average offensive production? And did organizational attachment to the player make it harder for the Yankees to objectively admit they had made a mistake?

Those are legitimate questions.

Because maybe Anthony Volpe wasn't the biggest failure in the Anthony Volpe experiment. Maybe the failure belongs to the people who were so determined to prove they were right about him that it took four years to consider they might have been wrong. And if that's the case, don't just investigate Anthony Volpe's swing. Investigate the Yankees' evaluation process.

And for my personal opinion? I don't want this guy back in pinstripes. All you have to do is look at how graceful George Lombard Jr. is at short and recognize that we were missing an actual baseball player in the middle infield for 3 years.  It's over.  

It's time to turn the page.  That's it.

IT'S NOT OFTEN THAT I AGREE WITH AROD, BUT IT JUST HAPPENED!

Ten years ago yesterday, August 12th, 2016, Alex Rodriguez played in his last game as a Yankee against the Rays. Oh how I look at that and think about the irony. Now he just sits back and talks about them and the strategy the Yankees should've taken to chase down the Rays in the AL East.

It's funny because he's been doing a lot of talking lately. I don't always agree with him. His idea that the Dodgers are good for baseball this week is one I don't agree with. However, the idea that the Yankees should've gone "all in" at the trade deadline I do agree with. If you missed it, check it out HERE. 

"The issue that you have with the Yankees, it's a tale of two stories," Rodriguez said. "They have the best pitching in baseball. They've collected some of the best pitchers, and by the way they haven't even been healthy all year but this is a championship-caliber pitching staff. I would've loved to see an extra arm or two because the by-product of not having a good offense, especially without Aaron Judge, they're pretty much 30th in every offensive category. What's gonna happen is you’re gonna play in a lot of tight games, you're not gonna blow anyone out. That means you're gonna tax your bullpen. You're gonna be the belly of your bullpen most of the year, and by the time September comes, their arms are gonna fall off. So that's my biggest concern."

We have wasted so many good, productive years in Judge's career. Next year he will be 35 and let's be honest, he's had some gnarly injuries. That's not going to get easier for the Yankees to manage. He's not going to be the young spring chicken anymore. Our starting pitching hasn't been this strong in a long time. Why waste that with an anemic offense that doesn't show up when Judge is out? It's even worse considering Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton are still out with their own injuries. It's like they are giving up without actually selling off the team.

Why not go "all in" as Rodriguez said and get some impact bats and upgrade your weaknesses that clearly aren't working? If you aren't going to sell, then don't just stand pat and make Band-Aid fixes! Cut the dead weight! Cutting Anthony Volpe wasn't enough. George Lombard Jr. getting his promotion needed to happen (it just wasn't an option not to), but they should've done more than just that. They needed to upgrade Austin Wells too!  That line from Brian Cashman about having "limited options" at catcher was a load of crap! Our rivals did it. That doesn't fix the Yankees but it sure is an addition by subtraction just getting rid of Wells who can't even hit his weight.

The Yankees needed to do more. They needed to be hungrier. The rest of these teams are looking at our starting rotation wishing they had it. They are envious for a moment, and then they realize all their offense has to do is 'keep them in the game' because they are likely to win those close games because our bullpen is not at the same level. A one run lead isn't as hard to protect for our rivals as it should be. You can't just rely on your starting pitching....the offense and bullpen need to also execute.

As Rodriguez said, "It's amazing how the whole fan base knew exactly how this was going to turn out and it did." That shouldn't be okay. That shouldn't be accepted and swept under the rug. Judge deserves more. The team deserves more. The fans deserve more. We deserve a front office with balls. We deserve a change from the top down. 

What a disgrace.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

ANOTHER YANKEE RALLY & MORE LOMBARD MAGIC!

The Yankees won again Tuesday night, beating the Mariners 4-1 for their third straight comeback victory.

That's the good news.

The other news? Can we please stop making “comeback” part of the nightly game plan?

Ryan Weathers deserved better than another night of waiting around for the offense to show up. He carried a one-hit shutout into the sixth and stretched his scoreless streak to 23 innings before Randy Arozarena finally got him with a solo homer. Weathers went 5.2 terrific innings, and the Yankee bullpen was spotless again.

And yet, there were the Yankees, trailing 1-0. Again. Thankfully, the bats eventually received the memo. In the seventh, Ryan McMahon delivered a two-run single and Trent Grisham followed with another two-run knock. Just like that, 1-0 became 4-1, and the Yankees had another win.

I love the fight. I love three straight comeback victories. But eventually, how about throwing the first punch? You can't keep spending six innings wandering around offensively and expect to flip a switch every night. Score early. Give your pitchers a lead. Maybe even make a game comfortable once in a while.

Crazy concept, I know.

But the moment I can't stop thinking about wasn't a hit.

It was George Lombard Jr.

In the first inning, a ground ball up the middle ricocheted off the second-base bag and changed direction. Lombard adjusted instantly, grabbed it with his bare hand and fired to first for the out.

Beautiful.

And here's what made it so impressive: it wasn't showboating. It was instinct. Lombard didn't barehand the ball because he wanted a highlight. He did it because his baseball brain immediately told him that's how the play had to be made.

You can't teach that. You can practice footwork, throwing mechanics and positioning. You can take 10,000 ground balls. But that internal clock — seeing something unexpected happen and reacting correctly without hesitation — is something special.

Lombard has it.

And I'm going to ask the question because every Yankee fan watching that play had to think about it:

After all the errors, misplays and routine grounders that somehow turned into adventures, do you think in a million years Anthony Volpe makes that play?

Come on. We've spent years being told how “elite” Volpe is defensively. Now we're watching Lombard play shortstop, and seemingly every game there's another defensive highlight. Great range. Smooth hands. Difficult throws made naturally. And now he's barehanding a ball that ricocheted off second base like somebody forgot to tell him the play was supposed to be difficult.

We're getting spoiled. Actually, maybe we're not. Maybe this is simply how a Yankee shortstop is supposed to operate. What was Yankee management doing force feeding Volpe on us? What a waste of time!

There's a difference between being told someone is an elite defender and watching someone whose instincts practically jump through the television. Lombard doesn't look frantic. He doesn't fight the position. He just plays it.

That's what makes this kid so impressive. The Yankees won 4-1. Weathers was terrific. McMahon and Grisham delivered. The bullpen did its job.

Three straight comeback wins. I'll happily take them. But tonight, maybe score before the seventh inning. And please, keep hitting the ball toward George Lombard Jr.

I want to see what the kid does next.

SO THIS IS WHAT "F'ING ELITE" IS NOW? COUNTING CLEAN PLAYS?

I’m trying to understand what world I’m living in.

Anthony Volpe is in the minor leagues. He’s now playing second base. And somehow, we’ve reached the point where we’re literally counting the number of plays he fields cleanly as proof that he’s adapting.

Are you kidding me? Greg Joyce of the New York Post wrote this: "Volpe played second base Saturday night at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, his first game at a position other than shortstop since 2021, and cleanly fielded all three balls hit to him."

I need you to think about this for a second.  This is the same Anthony Volpe that Aaron Boone once called “f’ing elite.”

Elite?

If Volpe were truly an elite shortstop, he’d be playing shortstop for the New York Yankees. Period. Instead, George Lombard Jr. has the job in the Bronx, while Volpe is in Scranton learning another position and we’re apparently supposed to get excited because he handled his chances cleanly.

According to the New York Post, Volpe is getting work at second base as the Yankees explore ways to increase his versatility and potentially create another route back to the majors.

Think about how insane that sentence would have sounded two years ago.

We went from “f’ing elite” to “maybe second base works.”

And that’s what gets me. This isn’t about rooting against Volpe. I want the kid to figure it out. But can we stop pretending this is anything other than a massive fall from where the Yankees told us he was?

We’re watching a former starting shortstop play second base in Triple-A and counting the clean plays.

One clean play. Two clean plays. Hey! There’s another one! What are we doing here? This is the New York Yankees, not instructional league. Maybe Volpe eventually figures it out. Maybe second base becomes his way back. Who knows... to be honest, I'm done with this stupid experiment.

Spare me the victory lap because he fielded a few baseballs cleanly in Scranton. “F’ing elite” was the standard. Now we’re counting clean ground balls.

THIS IS PATHETIC.

HEY CAMERON MAYBIN, YOU MISSED THE MARK WITH VOLPE

Former Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin weighed in after Anthony Volpe's demotion and George Lombard Jr.'s promotion, urging fans to move on. He wrote:

"The kid grew up dreaming of being a Yankee, got to wear the pinstripes, and by every account gave that organization everything he had. That deserves respect. Be excited about George Lombard Jr. I am too. But why does that have to come with taking shots at Volpe? That's weird. It's always the people who've never competed on a stage anywhere close to that level who are the loudest tearing him down. Turn the page. Appreciate what Volpe gave, root for what's next, and stop pouring salt in the wound. Respect costs nothing."

Hey Cameron Maybin, this isn't personal against Anthony Volpe. The problem is that you're trying to make it personal when it never was.

Nobody is celebrating because Anthony Volpe failed. They're celebrating because the Yankees finally admitted they were wrong.

The organization spent years manufacturing a Derek Jeter type story around Volpe. They spotted a local kid on a high school field, fell in love with the narrative, and fast-tracked him through the system before he was ready. Why? Because there was already familiarity. Volpe's former summer coach, Matt Hyde, also happened to be a Yankees scout. Whether people want to acknowledge it or not, that relationship helped fuel an organizational belief that Volpe was destined to become the next great Yankees shortstop. Read HOW YANKEE SCOUTS LOST THEIR WAY IN THE VOLPE RECRUITMENT. Educate yourself.

The Yankees sold fans on the idea before the player had proven it on the field. That's not Anthony Volpe's fault. That's Brian Cashman's fault. Fans didn't reject Volpe because they disliked him. They rejected the Yankees' refusal to admit he'd been rushed. For years, the organization force-fed this experiment while fans watched a player trying to learn the hardest position on the diamond under the brightest lights in baseball.

So, when Maybin says we should appreciate what Volpe did for the clubhouse, it's a fair question:

What exactly did he do for the clubhouse?

The Yankees didn't win because of Anthony Volpe. They didn't become tougher. They didn't become more fundamentally sound. They didn't become champions.

What fans remember is years of inconsistency while the organization insisted everything was fine.

That's not personal. That's baseball.

Here's another thing. If you're a Yankees shortstop and have access to Derek Jeter, why wouldn't you bend his ear every chance you got? Maybe conversations happened privately, maybe they didn't, but Jeter said he "didn't know" Anthony and that's a red flag. Fans never saw that relationship blossom. If the organization was going to market Volpe as the heir to Jeter, then learning from No. 2 himself should have been part of the equation.

Instead, the Yankees pushed the image before the player was ready to carry it.

Maybin can defend Volpe all he wants, but he's defending the wrong thing. Fans weren't attacking the kid. They were demanding accountability from the front office that put him in an impossible situation.

Then the Yankees finally made the move everyone had been asking for. Volpe was optioned to Triple-A.

Ironically, even that has created another question.

As of August 6, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre manager Shelley Duncan confirmed Volpe still hadn't officially reported to the RailRiders. Yes, players are typically given up to 72 hours to report after being optioned, so there's nothing unusual procedurally.

But if you're determined to prove everyone wrong, why aren't you on the first ride to Scranton? Maybe there's a perfectly reasonable explanation. Maybe not. Still, it doesn't exactly scream urgency. If you want to be treated like a big leaguer, then go to work like one.

And that's why Maybin's comments miss the mark. This isn't about hurt feelings. This is about winning baseball games.

George Lombard Jr. takes the field looking confident, fearless and prepared. Win or lose, the Yankees already feel different. They look looser. They look more athletic. They look like they're finally playing baseball instead of trying to protect an organizational decision.

Anthony Volpe is probably a good kid. Most fans would agree with that. But the Yankees rushed him. The Yankees damaged his development. The Yankees refused to admit their mistake until fan pressure became impossible to ignore.

So no, Cameron Maybin. This was never personal. It was always business.

And Yankees fans weren't rooting against Anthony Volpe. They were rooting for the Yankees to stop pretending he was ready.

Stop trying to be provocative.