New Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe asked ex-outfielder Brett Gardner for permission to wear his No. 11

Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe will make his big league debut Thursday when New York hosts the San Francisco Giants at 1:05 p.m. ET. If he does, he’ll wear a new number: No. 11, instead of his spring number 77. As it turns out, Volpe decided to call ahead of the move.

According to YES Network’s Jack Curry, Volpe called longtime Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, the last member of the team to wear the number 11, and made sure he was okay with it before accepting the digits as his own. Gardner, of course, had a stellar career with the Yankees, amassing more than 44 wins over the reserve over the course of 14 seasons in the big league.

Whether Volpe can keep up just as well throughout his Yankees career remains to be seen. Earlier this spring, CBS Sports ranked him as the game’s 12th best candidate. Here’s what we wrote:

Volpe enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2021, hitting 27 home runs after adding muscle to his physique. He didn’t match that feat last season — struggling downright during a 22-game introduction to Triple-A and striking 30 percent of the time — delaying his debut until sometime next summer. Volpe is still considered an above-average hitter, capable of contributing in any of the slash categories. Defensively, he still needs to prove that he can make all plays from close range despite a below-average arm. It’s possible he’ll end up at the keystone at some point.

For those wondering, Volpe will become the 32nd player in Yankees franchise history to wear the number 11, joining a group that includes Gary Sheffield, Chuck Knoblauch, Fred Stanley, Héctor López, Lefty Gomez and Waite Hoyt, to name a few.