Mike Francesa
Asbury Park Press

The big guy wants the kid to stay with the big club.

WFAN legend Mike Francesa knows Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe has hit an extended rough patch. But he does not believe the Bombers should send the rookie down to Triple-A. Nor does he think they will.

“You leave him alone because he is a top prospect,” Francesa said on his latest BetRivers podcast. “Has he struggled? Yes. He’s struggled mightily. If he was not the prospect, if he had a different name, would he have seen the minors by now? Probably.

“He hasn’t been a great fielder, he’s hitting under .200, his OPS is in the low 600s, his on-base percentage — if you go over his last 60 games, he’s hit .130 and his on-base percentage has been .140. It’s very hard to keep someone in the lineup with those numbers. … But, he’s gotten some big hits. He’s shown some power. He’s got nine home runs, he’s got 26 RBI. He has not wilted. So you leave him alone.”

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The heat is growing on Volpe with Oswald Peraza tearing it up in Scranton. But Volpe’s big home run in Sunday’s rubber match win over the Dodgers gave him a much-needed boost. And, Francesa said, showed why the Yankees should stay the course

“They are going to leave him alone and let him play the position,” Francesa said. “Because he is a big prospect, they are going to hope that he at least gets and stays above the .200 mark this year, hits some home runs, steals some bases and gets a good lesson. I don’t think there’s any interest at all at putting him in the minor leagues.”

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James Kratch can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.

James Kratch is the managing editor of ESNY. He previously worked as a Rutgers and Giants (and Mike Francesa) beat reporter for NJ Advance Media.