The Yankees’ kids may keep Aaron Boone employed.
The latest in Pinstripe Kreminology, via NJ.com columnist Bob Klapisch:
Here’s what we knew but is suddenly up for discussion: A reprieve for Boone is on the table.
I was told two weeks ago a firing was a foregone conclusion, even though Boone had a year remaining on his contract. That’s how badly the Yankees were playing. That’s how helpless Boone seemed in the face of the franchise’s worst collapse in 32 years.
(…)
[T]his unexpected surge plays to Boone’s strength as a manager.
He is – and always has been – the right guy for a team on a roll. Confidence-building is Boone’s most important asset. He can make young players feel relaxed, a trait that Joe Girardi never possessed.
So is it possible the Yankees are in the process of saving Boone’s job?
It is a definite maybe, Klapisch reports, adding the final call with sit with owner Hal Steinbrenner. That meshes with what The Post’s Jon Heyman recently reported while predicting Boone will return. And SNY’s Andy Martino has been more bullish on Boone’s retention, but has also conceded Steinbrenner, and not general manager Brian Cashman, will make the ultimate decision.
The Yankees have won five straight and eight of nine behind recent promotions like Jasson Dominguez and Austin Wells, moving back over .500. And they are now just six games back of the final AL wild card spot in the loss column with 23 games to play.
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Are they going to pull off a miraculous postseason bid? Probably not. They would likely need to play north of .800 baseball the rest of the way. And the whole thing could get blown up as soon as this weekend at the NL Central-leading Brewers.
But … the Yankees have 10 games left against the Blue Jays and Red Sox, two of the teams in front of them. Plus one more game against the Tigers and a pair of three-game sets against the Pirates and Royals. And the Rangers, the third team in front of the Bombers, are 4-15 in their last 19 games. So there is enough there to cautiously believe.
Bottom line: It feels more likely with each passing day that Steinbrenner will bring Boone back for a lame-duck contract year in 2024.
James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
