Anthony Volpe is expected to start at shortstop on Sunday afternoon when his New York Yankees conclude their three-game series against the host Miami Marlins.
Miami has won the first two games of the series.
Entering this weekend, Volpe, 24, led the majors in errors with 16, and his .957 fielding percentage is down 15 points from last season.
But Volpe also is tied for fourth among major league shortstops in home runs with 17. Volpe had a monster game against Miami on Friday, going 4-for-5 with a homer, a double, three runs, two RBIs and two steals.
“Clearly, he’s gone through some struggles,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Volpe, a first-round pick (30th overall) by New York in the 2019 MLB Draft. “But Anthony is super tough, and I think he’s wired for this.”
Sunday’s pitching matchup features a pair of 27-year-old right-handers from the Dominican Republic: New York’s Luis Gil against Miami’s Edward Cabrera (4-5, 3.35 ERA).
Gil was voted the American League’s Rookie of the Year last season, going 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA. He also set a Yankees rookie single-game record with 14 strikeouts against the White Sox.
This season, Gil — who has never faced the Marlins — has yet to pitch due to a lat strain he suffered in March.
“From the moment I got hurt, I immediately wanted to get back out there,” Gil said. “It’s been a long process, but I think I’ve done a good job of following the plan.”
Cabrera, who has never faced the Yankees, has battled injuries for much of his MLB career. But he has been healthy this year, making 18 starts — just two away from his career high.
The Marlins are 9-9 this year when starting Cabrera, who has been consistently good over the past three months. He had a 2.00 ERA in May; a 2.89 ERA in June and a 2.43 ERA in July. That’s over his past 14 starts.
Aside from Cabrera, the Marlins this weekend have integrated rookie center fielder Jakob Marsee into their lineup.
Marsee made his MLB debut on Friday, going 1-for-2 with three walks, one double and two runs scored in a 13-12 win over the Yankees. On Saturday, he went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk.
“He has always been a guy who controls the strike zone,” Marlins first-year manager Clayton McCullough said. “He has cut down on his strikeouts and tapped into some power.”
A lefty hitter, Marsee was San Diego’s sixth-round pick out of Central Michigan in 2022. The Marlins acquired him and three other minor leagues in the May 2024 trade that sent three-time batting champion Luis Arraez to the Padres.
At Triple-A Jacksonville this year, Marsee led the minors with 47 steals, getting caught 13 times. He also hit 14 homers in 98 games with an .817 OPS.
The Marlins moved starting right fielder Jesus Sanchez to the Houston Astros at the trade deadline on Thursday, and that opened a spot in the lineup. Miami moved Dane Myers to right field and put Marsee in center.