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Yankees vice president of player development Kevin Reese said in January that he expects Volpe to open the season at Double-A Somerset, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Reese added that he thinks Volpe will "hopefully make an impact in the big leagues soon," perhaps hinting that a late-season promotion to the Yankees in 2022 shouldn't be dismissed if the shortstop continues to mash in the minors like he did between stops at Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley in 2021. After an underwhelming professional debut at the rookie-ball level in 2019, Volpe looked like an entirely different player in his return to game action following the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 513 plate appearances between the two Single-A affiliates, Volpe posted an 1.027 OPS, 27 home runs and 33 stolen bases while striking out at a manageable 19.7 percent clip. The 20-year-old will face a stiffer test against more advanced Double-A pitching, but the big leap he made in 2021 makes him the Yankees' top prospect entering the upcoming season, both in real-life and fantasy terms.

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