Anthony Volpe made an immediate impact in his return to the Yankees on Thursday, hitting a grand slam and driving in a career-high five runs as New York completed a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies with a 10-3 victory.
The Yankees improved to 84-62 with the win and moved within three games of the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.
Volpe was recalled earlier Thursday after the Yankees placed Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the injured list with a sprained right thumb. Starting at second base, Volpe went 3-for-4 and provided the biggest offensive performance of the night.
He got his first RBI in the second inning, lining a single into left field before stealing third base. Cody Bellinger followed with a sacrifice fly to extend New York’s lead.
The Yankees carried a 4-1 advantage into the seventh inning, when Spencer Jones delivered a two-run single with runners on second and third. Volpe then came to the plate with the bases loaded and launched a grand slam into the right-field seats, giving him five RBI and putting the game out of reach.
Luis Garcia Jr. also continued his recent power surge, opening the scoring with a two-run home run in the first inning for his second straight game with a homer.
Max Fried allowed one earned run on one hit over 3.2 innings while striking out seven and walking two. The Yankees continued to manage his workload following his return from injury, pulling him after 80 pitches.
Colorado scored twice late, but Luis Gil recorded the final six outs to finish the victory.
New York opens a three-game Subway Series against the Mets on Friday at 7:05 p.m. Carlos Rodón is scheduled to start for the Yankees against Nolan McLean.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.