DETROIT — During his climb through the minor leagues, and even coming into his first season with the Yankees, there were questions about whether Anthony Volpe would remain at shortstop in the long term. 

The 22-year-old has seemingly answered those questions before his rookie year even ends. 

“Shoot, we heard that even going into this spring, like, ‘Eventually he’s probably going to end up at second base,’ ” manager Aaron Boone said Monday at Comerica Park before the Yankees’ series-opening win over the Tigers. “While I think he’d probably be a terrific second baseman, I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say he is right in the middle of the Gold Glove conversation at shortstop. It’s been that good. 

“When you have that level of play at shortstop, chances are you’re staying there.” 

Of course, if Volpe’s future is staying at shortstop, it begs the question of where Oswald Peraza fits into the Yankees’ plans.

Long considered a defensively gifted shortstop, Peraza has spent most of this year at Triple-A but is now getting a run at third base with the Yankees over the final month-plus of the season. 

While Volpe has gone through his share of growing pains at the plate — though he has hit 18 home runs — he has been impressive in the field with a steady glove and strong instincts.

Entering Monday, he ranked second among all shortstops with 14 Defensive Runs Saved, per Fielding Bible, trailing only the Rays’ Wander Franco (16). 

Franco would appear to be the front-runner for the AL Gold Glove at shortstop, though he is currently on administrative leave as MLB investigates claims of alleged inappropriate relationships with underage women. 

Baseball Savant’s Outs Above Average, which is based on a defender’s range, had Volpe more in the middle of the pack, with his three OAA tied for 13th among all shortstops. 

“Honestly, whereas I thought he would be able to handle shortstop, I guess that’s where he’s impressed me the most,” Boone said. “I don’t know that I expected him to be this good at the position this early. All the little nuance things, the routine, he’s just really, really good at.” 

What has impressed Boone the most about Volpe’s defense is that he has done it without having the strongest arm — which is one of the reasons why some scouts believed his future would be at second base. But his baseball IQ and other aspects have helped Volpe make up for that. 

“He plays the position so fast and with great energy but without being out of control,” Boone said. “That’s why I think he’s done a great job with the routine play. But because he plays the game so fast and with intensity, he’s got great range and he really uses his feet well to cut down angles to give himself an opportunity to make difficult plays without doing it with a great arm.”