Aaron Boone walked into the Yankees’ postseason opener with two calls that could have stirred up real noise in the clubhouse. Instead, he handled both in a way that kept the temperature down.
Aaron Judge wanted back. Jazz Chisholm Jr. wanted to play. Boone said no to both - just in different ways, and for different reasons.
Judge had been taking live batting practice Monday as he tried to return from a strained right calf. He had already spent most of the season sidelined by a fractured right rib, came back for seven games, and then landed back on the injured list after hurting the calf Sept.
- The Yankees captain was pushing hard to get into the Wild Card Series, but Boone and the training staff decided he still wasn’t ready to handle everything that comes with being on the field.
That conversation happened face to face. After the live BP session, Boone met with Judge and members of the Yankees’ training staff to go over where the outfielder stood physically.
“[Taking BP yesterday was] a significant step for him and a sign he’s shown real improvement over the last couple of weeks. We had an honest conversation last night. I just felt like he wasn’t quite ready,” Boone said.
The Judge call was about more than whether he could swing a bat. Boone wanted proof that he could run the bases and move around in right field without putting the calf at risk, and the Yankees decided not to carry him on the Wild Card roster.
Chisholm’s situation was different, but it still had the potential to create friction. He had just returned from a sprained right thumb, he was heading toward free agency, and he had made it clear that another postseason benching would not sit well with him. Last year, he sat against a Boston left-hander in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series and made his frustration obvious afterward.
This time, Boone made sure Chisholm heard it from him first. Chisholm had already said he respected that kind of communication.
“I feel like with Boonie, he will come up to me and let me know what’s going on before it’s put out there, which I always respect that out of him. He’s always been good on that side of things,” Chisholm said.
Boone followed through before Game 1 and texted him with the message he wanted him to hear.
“Hey, you might be the most important person in the building tonight, and we need you to be ready to go for the biggest spot potentially,” Boone told Chisholm.
That was the tone Boone took with the second baseman: not a dismissal, but a reminder that a bench role could still matter in a short series.
“My expectation is that he’ll be ready to go and could play a crucial role as early as tonight,” Boone said before Game 1.
On the field, the Yankees backed up the decisions with a 9-0 win Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. Cam Schlittler threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out 10 to get the win, while Red Sox rookie left-hander Payton Tolle took the loss.
No save was recorded. Ben Rice was the big bat in the lineup, going 4-for-5 with two homers, including a grand slam, and driving in six runs.
Anthony Volpe started at second base in place of Chisholm, went 1-for-3 and also laid down a sacrifice bunt.
The game didn’t erase the questions around Judge or Chisholm, but it did prevent them from turning into the story of the night.
The numbers behind the decisions are straightforward. Judge finished at .241 with 18 home runs, 41 RBIs and an .871 OPS in 66 games.
Chisholm ended the year at .231 with 19 homers, 55 RBIs and 41 stolen bases in 137 games. Volpe hit .245 with a .321 on-base percentage in 70 games after coming back from Triple-A.
For now, Boone’s choices have bought the Yankees some breathing room. New York leads the best-of-three series 1-0 and can advance Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, with Max Fried set to face Sonny Gray.
Chisholm is expected back in the lineup against the right-hander. Judge remains off the Wild Card roster and will keep rehabbing, with an ALDS return depending on whether the Yankees move on and whether his calf meets the club’s medical standards.
The bigger win for Boone, at least for one night, was that two potentially messy conversations stayed exactly that - conversations, not distractions.
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