After a horrendous start to the month in which they lost seven of nine games, the New York Yankees appear to have regained their efficiency. With six wins in their last seven games, including a four-game winning streak, the Bronx Bombers are back on top in the American League wild-card race.
However, not everything is rosy within the franchise, which on Tuesday saw a new crisis unfold with a war of words between two key figures in the organization: Aaron Boone and Aaron Judge. The manager and the team captain offered contradictory statements regarding the state of the outfielder’s arm, who spent several days on the injured list.
“I don’t think we’ll see him throw again like he normally does at any point this year,” Boone said in a radio interview with Bryan Hoch. “We’re trying to get him to be able to let go easily and be able to protect himself,” added the manager, who has kept Judge only as a designated hitter since his activation last August 5.
I don’t think we’re going to see him pitch like he normally does at any point this year
These statements further fueled the alarm about the health of the Bombers captain, who did not hesitate to answer Boone when asked. “I don’t know why he said that. He hasn’t seen me throw in the last two weeks, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be back to 100%,” Judge said, leaving his manager in a very bad place.
At this point, it’s unclear whether it’s worse that Boone hasn’t seen his injured superstar pitch in two weeks, or the fact that he publicly spoke about something contradictory about Judge. This leaves the manager in the spotlight, who has been the subject of criticism in recent weeks for the team’s erratic performance and some decisions of his that have gone wrong on the field.
Boone’s error was so obvious that shortly afterwards he had to clarify his statements, saying that he may have exaggerated a bit in his stance. “Will he come back with a 70-80 arm? I don’t know if I necessarily expect that. But when we get him back, I hope he can handle the situation,” he said.
Judge was diagnosed with a right elbow flexor strain and played his last game in the outfield on July 25 against the Phillies. He then spent several days on the injured list and managed to return to the lineup as a designated hitter. In that role, he has not been as lethal this month, as he has four extra-base hits and seven RBIs in a dozen games, below his usual indicators.
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