Yankees heralded rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe is playing solid or better defense, showing surprising if sporadic power and toiling hard at his current issue with contact, which is that he isn’t making enough of it.

Volpe is determined to do what he can to work his way out of a slump that’s dropped his batting average to .191, and no surprise, he was among several struggling Yankees in the cage for early batting practice before they beat the Mariners 3-1 at The Stadium to end a four-game losing streak. But one question needs to be asked: Is he practicing the right things? A couple of scouts and self-described staunch Volpe admirers see alterations in his approach they don’t love.

Nearly everyone sees stardom in the kid’s future. But does he need to make some real changes to get there soon?

Two scouts who’ve followed him for years see a swing that’s different, more “uphill” and harder than ever. They say they believe he’s bought into the launch-angle theory (Volpe says no, his answer is below). One scout, who professed to be one of the biggest Volpe fans going, even suggested he might need to go down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to work out this issue and reacquire his previous swing. General manager Brian Cashman said that option isn’t even being discussed.

“He’s going away from what made him special — getting on base, battling, tough at-bats,” the scout said. “Now it’s three strikes and sit down. That’s not his game. Someone told him not to worry about strikeouts. He swings out of his [behind] every pitch, even with two strikes.”

The scout said he still believes strongly in Volpe, that he loved him at the powerhouse Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J., and that he still loves in him as a player. He recalled as an apt comp Dustin Pedroia, who looked more overmatched than this (also .191, but a 42 OPS-plus compared to Volpe’s 70) his first time up with the Red Sox, but went down, worked on things and came back to become an MVP.

“This is not the type of player Anthony Volpe should be,” the scout said. “He shouldn’t be among the league leaders in strikeouts.” (He was tied for seventh in the AL with 83 strikeouts.)

Following his extra batting practice, Volpe consented to an interview, and he did it with a smile, though a couple of the questions couldn’t have been comfortable. I let him know what a couple of scouts are saying.

“I’m definitely not trying to do the launch angle, or anything like that,” Volpe insisted. “I’m just trying to impact the game any way I can and help the team win. I get opportunities a lot, so I’m trying to take advantage of that.”

Friends say the kid, only 22, breathes baseball, and he certainly works it — although it’s taking some time at the plate, predictably. His OPS was .670 through April, .592 in May and .532 in June.

“We’re not where we want to be obviously. I am trying to find ways to impact the game any way I can,” Volpe said. “Everyone’s grinding to try to be the player and be the team we can be.”

The scout who loves Volpe said he actually wanted to throw the remote against the TV on Sunday night after watching Kenley Jansen whiff Volpe seemingly with ease, thanks to his borderline Hall of Fame high hard stuff (though to be fair, Jansen can make anyone look bad).

“He’s going to have to go down to Triple-A,” the scout said. “He’s going to have to relearn how to hit the ball up, and relearn how to hit the ball away. His hips are opening early and he’s swinging uphill. The only pitch he can hit are pitches that are down and in.”

Volpe may be young, but he’s already a pro, and he handled that suggestion with aplomb. The Yankees do seem completely behind him (although no one would expect them to express a discouraging word while he’s here).

“That’s so far out of my control,” Volpe said about the minors. “This team has taken me in since Day 1 of spring training. We have such big games every night, so if I was thinking of anything else, that would be a disservice to the guys in the clubhouse. That’s the furthest thing from my mind.”

Cashman expressed faith in the entire offense, almost nonexistent since superstar Aaron Judge went down June 3. Cashman also made a point of suggesting a rookie shouldn’t be the focus of their struggles. (While fans are booing struggling Josh Donaldson and Giancarlo Stanton, fairly, they are supportive of the kid.)

Cashman professed faith in Volpe, who they love as much as the scout does. And he suggested a demotion isn’t on the table.

“We’re not shying away from Anthony Volpe,” Cashman said. “We believe in him, we’re invested in him.”

They’ve expressed their commitment to him from Day 1, and they’ve proven it by allowing him to carrying a sub-.200 average into the summer. Questioned about the idea of a demotion, Cashman said they aren’t “pursuing or discussing it at all.”

It’s easy to see why they believe in this kid as a future star. But it’s fair to ask the question: How close is that future?