"He's pretty ill" - Aaron Boone drops update on Anthony Volpe's absence after Yankees star's 'rough day'

New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe was a late scratch from the lineup for the Easter Sunday game against the Houston Astros on Sunday. According to the Yankees, Volpe had a stomach bug, which kept him out of action for the last game of the four-game series at Minute Maid Park.

A new update came from Bryan Hoch, who had a conversation with manager Aaron Boone regarding the health status of Volpe.

"He's pretty ill. He was in the (postgame) handshake line with a smile on, but it's been a rough day," Boone said.

Without Volpe at shortstop, third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera played shortstop, while trade acquisition Jon Berti made his Yankees debut, playing third.

Volpe has had a good season, accumulating four hits and four walks in 14 plate appearances, including a home run on Saturday. He won the gold glove in his rookie campaign, towering 21 moonshots.

Coming back to the game, the Yankees won 4-3 over the Astros, completing a four-game sweep to start the season. They now head to Chase Field for a three-game series against reigning NLCS winners Arizona Diamondbacks.

They play their first 2024 regular-season game at the Yankee Stadium on Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

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Anthony Volpe eyes improved sophomore season with the Yankees

The sophomore shortstop was lights-out in 2023 rookie campaign, which helped Anthony Volpe become the everyday shortstop for the Yankees in a short time.

“I learned a ton last year about everything. We’ve been going to work,” Volpe said.

“I think it’s just taking some of the strengths of my game and trying to make those more consistent. With that, ironing out some of the things that didn’t set me up for as much success as I expected.”

Despite becoming the first Yankee to have a 20-home run and 20-steal season, Volpe looks for improvement in his sophomore season in the majors.

Manager Aaron Boone, who sang praise for Volpe, sees scope for improvement that could propel the young infielder to new heights.

“It’s just tightening up that strike zone discipline and then also being able to take away where teams found some holes and could exploit,” Boone said. “That's all part of being not just a young big leaguer, but (any) big leaguer. It's a game of adjustments.”

The stomach bug issue that rendered Anthony Volpe out of Sunday's batting lineup should ease up before they face the Diamondbacks in Chase Field.