The New York Yankees have, admittedly, backed themselves into a difficult corner with Anthony Volpe. Unfortunately, instead of chiseling out of it carefully, they've decided to glue themselves to the corner, smiling so hard their faces fleck with sweat along the way.
The reality of the situation is that the Yankees made their bed when they used Volpe's emergence in the minors as an excuse to stay out of the market for free agent solutions like Corey Seager entirely. If they'd competed for Seager and lost the bidding, maybe things would be different. Instead, they opted out, touting Volpe's innate instincts and handing him the Opening Day honors befitting of a homegrown superstar in 2023 without stopping long enough to consider what might happen if they failed him.