A bad night in the Bronx got even worse on Thursday when Anthony Volpe was substituted out of the Yankees’ 9-4 loss to the Angels before the start of the eighth inning with “soreness in the left foot” after the shortstop fouled a ball with his foot in the second inning.
They appear to have avoided the worst, as manager Aaron Boone said foot X-rays were negative.
He was examined by team doctor Dr. Chris Ahmad.
“He’s in pretty good spirits right now,” Boone said. “We’re treating it as a bruise. Hopefully he’ll be OK and back out there.”
When asked if Volpe could be back in the squad on Friday, Boone said: “We’ll see. I think he’ll be fine.”
Volpe sustained the injury in his first at-bat of the game against Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson, but initially stayed in the game and managed a popout to first base.
Volpe struck out again in the fourth inning and was eliminated again in the seventh inning.
The 23-year-old was not put to much of a test on defense before being replaced at shortstop by Oswaldo Cabrera late in the game on a very rainy evening in the Bronx.
Volpe has only missed one game this season.
After a slump in parts of the first half, Volpe has hit better since the All-Star break, although he has only two hits in his last 16 at-bats.
While the Yankees seem optimistic that Volpe is not seriously injured, they will have to wait and see how the foot heals before they can be sure the injury will not cause permanent damage.
If Volpe is out, Jazz Chisholm Jr. also has experience as a shortstop, but the Yankees want him to continue to get used to third base.
And Cabrera was good at shortstop, also hitting a home run to left outfield against the Angels’ fiery right-hander Ben Joyce.
Cabrera’s eighth home run of the season was a 101.7 mph four-seamer.
According to the YES Network, this is the fastest pitch a Yankee has hit for a home run since pitch tracking began in 2008.
