New York Post

Boone stuck in Yankees limbo

- By DAN MARTIN dan.martin@nypost.com

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was back in The Bronx on Friday, as were hitting coach Marcus Thames and pitching coach Matt Blake.

Whether Boone and the coaching staff will return remains in doubt, as the Yankees absorb another early postseason exit.

Boone has stated his desire to return, but also told The Post last month he wasn’t overly concerned about his future.

“I’m not worried about it,” Boone said at the time. “I’ll be fine whatever happens.”

But he has said repeatedly he loves the job. His players also supported him in the wake of their wild-card loss in Boston.

The Yankees value stability more than ever, which may also play a role in their decision about whether to move on from Boone or keep him, perhaps for another year, with a team option for 2023.

That stability has gotten the Yankees plenty of regular season wins, but not much postseason success.

This season, there was a remarkable lack of consistenc­y, with a 6-11 start, a 41-41 mark on July 4 and a 13-game winning streak mixed in.

The Yankees got back to the playoffs, securing a spot on the final day of the season, but Toronto dealt with playing in three different “home” stadiums in three states and two countries, and still almost forced the Yankees into a play-in game.

While Boone’s future remains up in the air, the Yankees are done with Andrew Heaney.

The left-hander elected free agency on Friday instead of accepting an outright assignment.

Despite an ugly stretch with the Yankees after a July trade with the Angels that cost the Yankees a pair of pitching prospects, the organizati­on had hoped the 30-year-old would accept an assignment to Tampa when they needed to open a roster spot late in the year for Jonathan Loaisiga.

Instead, Heaney will hit the market after pitching to a 7.32 ERA in 35 2/3 innings with a 1.35 WHIP for the Yankees.

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