The New York Yankees have had several standout performers over the early stages of their spring training schedule, including Anthony Volpe.

Volpe has posted a .364 batting average and scored three runs over four spring training games played so far this year. He starred in the Yankees’ 9-1 road win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, where he slugged a solo home run in the first inning to open up the scoring for the reigning American League East champions.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was left in awe of Volpe's power on his home run on the day.

“He’s strong,” Boone said on Thursday. “Great lower half, stays in the ground really well. You see him sit down in his legs, and he doesn’t get cheated.

“You can see him drive the ball out the other way. He’s not tall, but he’s thick and pretty stout.”

Boone set high expectations for Volpe ahead of spring training, and the club's highly coveted shortstop prospect has so far managed to meet them.

“I’ve got high expectations, and he’s come in and gotten after it,” Boone said. “It’s in line with the reputation he’s earned in our organization. He works hard.

“You can tell he loves the game. I think of our captain, Aaron Judge — one of the things that stands out is he loves the game. So you get into the little things, watching and looking to find a little bit of an edge — he’s always doing that.”

From his sheer speed on the base paths to his ability to simply get on base, Volpe has been making the most out of his recent playing time with the AL East powerhouse.

In the big picture, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Oswald Peraza are viewed as the two serious contenders to be the Yankees' starting shortstop come Opening Day later this month. Volpe is at the least making a strong case to earn a fair share of at-bats over the first half of the upcoming season.

The Yankees will kick off their 2023 campaign with a combined six straight home contests against the San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies.