Yankees Anthony Volpe getting close to busting out: Aaron Boone

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.The roller coaster that has been Anthony Volpe at the plate has reached another valley, though manager Aaron Boone believes the uphill climb has begun.Entering play Friday, Volpe — who has been streaky through his major league career, prone to red-hot streaks and frigid-cold spurts — had gone 6-for-43 (.140) in his past 12 games with 18 strikeouts.He owned a .908 OPS 12 games into his season, which had fallen to .680.“You’re a good series away from being back in that [.800 OPS] neighborhood,” the manager said before the Yankees lost, 4-2, to the Blue Jays in The Bronx, during which Boone saw hope from his everyday shortstop.Volpe finished 1-for-3 with a double, was hit by a pitch, lined to left field and had a well-struck, 102.1-mph fly out to fairly deep center field.The seventh-inning double that one-hopped the wall in right field (after which Volpe came around to score the then-game-tying run) was the most obvious sign of progress, but Boone was encouraged all day.“I thought he was really good, and I noticed [his swing during batting practice] being a little bit more where it needs to be,” Boone said.The Yankees have needed more from Volpe, whom the Rays pounded with fastballs up in the zone, and he entered play having swung and missed at 32.2 percent of the heaters he had seen.Boone believed Volpe has known how he was being attacked and might have added some “tension” to his swing as he tried to get around on high fastballs.“It’s like: Just be athletic and quick and fast and let the ball do the work,” Boone said before the game.

“Maybe a little muscle-y there through some of the swings.”Volpe has adopted the same approach he took in last October’s impressive postseason, his swing speed seeing an uptick as he has tried to put more power behind his swings.Through the early going, his pop had i...