Boone says Bombers haven’t told him yet if he’ll be back next year
As Aaron Boone drove to Yankee Stadium on Monday, only the dreary weather occupied his thoughts. The 50-year-old, about to manage the Yankees’ final home game of the season, said it did not occur to him that the rainy day could be his last in pinstripes. “No, not until you mentioned that now,” Boone said when asked about the possibility. “I was thinking, ‘What a crappy day we’re driving into right now.’”
Boone still has another year and a club option on his contract, but his future has been a talking point throughout the Yankees’ disappointing season. The team was eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday, marking the first time under Boone’s watch that the Yankees’ campaign will end with the regular season.
The Yankees, who entered Monday’s finale against Arizona a game above .500, still have to play series in Toronto and Kansas City this week.
On Monday morning, Boone said that he has not been definitively told whether he will return in 2024. He added that he is not thinking about his job security as he wraps up his sixth year at the helm.
“No, I don’t worry about it,” Boone said. “It’s out of my hands. I’m completely comfortable with who I am and the things I can control. My job is, in my mind, doing everything to head into the offseason to prepare to put us in a better position to try and compete for a championship. That’s what the goal is, and until they take that away, that’s my focus.”
While Boone said that he doesn’t know his status for next year yet, he has talked as if he will be involved in the team’s plans moving forward. On Monday, that included him saying the organization will look to get “on the same page” and ask questions this offseason after Aaron Judge bluntly said that changes are needed on Sunday.
“It’s not gonna happen overnight, so we gotta hit the ground running, especially when the season ends,” Judge said. “We got a lot to work on, a lot of things to change, and a lot of stuff going on around here that needs to be fixed.”
While some fans would love to see the Yankees move on from Boone, he has the support of players. That includes Judge, as the Yankees’ captain has endorsed the manager’s return.
As for what could or should change, Boone kept those opinions private.
“I’m thinking about things all the time,” he said, “and there’s layers of [the] organization or things that you have your personal thoughts and things that we’ll get into at length. Unfortunately, we’ll have a lot of time for that.”
JUDGE DOESN’T WANT TO SHUT DOWN
The Yankees are no longer playing for a shot at the postseason, but Judge isn’t done with 2023 just yet.
There has been plenty of speculation that the team could shut the slugger down thanks to the still-healing ligament in his right big toe. However, Judge didn’t seem to like the sound of that idea after the Yankees were eliminated on Sunday.
“I’m planning on being out there,” he said. “There were talks of stuff getting shut down, but I gotta be out there. I’m a leader on this team and, especially with the young guys we got coming up, you got to show them that you got to post even if you’re not feeling good, not feeling great. You gotta be out there every single day for your teammates. So, yeah, I’m gonna be out there.”
Boone was less definitive when asked about Judge’s comment on Monday, stating that he and the right fielder will talk about playing each day the rest of the way.
“He and I will talk and kind of go through that and see where we’re at,” Boone said. “So fluid.”
THE LATEST ON RIZZO
Anthony Rizzo said that he is doing “a lot better” in his recovery from post-concussion syndrome.
“I think we just ran out of time to come back, but I’m definitely feeling back to myself, feeling a lot clearer and pretty strong,” the first baseman said. “I’m excited for this offseason to get stronger and get ready for next year.”
Rizzo also said that he plans on having a normal offseason, though he might start his training program a little earlier after missing the last two months of the season. He also expects to be ready for spring training.
“I’ve stayed active with stuff and will continue to stay active,” Rizzo continued. “But as far as spring training, I’ll be a full-go and have a full ramp-up as normal.”