Boone: Volpe is ‘special’

During the current MLB lockout, Aaron Boone can’t talk to anyone on the Yankees’ 40-man roster.

So he isn’t able to get an update on how Aaron Hicks was feeling during his stint playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic as he comes back from wrist surgery or text with other players about how their offseasons are going.

But Boone is allowed to communicate with minor leaguers who aren’t on the 40-man, which is why he’s been able to see the shortstop many consider the organization’s top prospect, Anthony Volpe, several times at events over the past few months.

“He’s a special guy,’’ Boone said Wednesday during a Zoom call.

The 20-year-old Volpe was the 30th-overall pick in the 2019 amateur draft and has so far lived up to expectations.

“I remember when he signed with us,’’ Boone said of the former Delbarton star being at Yankee Stadium two years ago. “It was a rainy, crappy day in New York and he and his family came down. I remember hearing about all his intangibles: ‘This guy’s a great leader and makes everybody better around him.’ ”

Boone’s response at the time? “‘All right, he’s a first-round pick, can he play?’” Boone said. “He’s showing he can really play and is somebody we’re incredibly excited about.”

After Volpe saw his first full season in the majors wiped out due to the cancellation of the minor league season due to COVID in 2020, the Morristown, N.J., native blossomed last year, splitting the season between Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley.

He performed well enough that some observers now consider Volpe a better prospect than the much-hyped Jasson Dominguez, who is still just 18.

“I got a little peak into some of the intangible things people talked about,’’ Boone said. “The way he carries himself and the way communicates. He has an incredible work ethic. There’s a confidence with humility mixed in. I’m really excited about the player, but also the person.”