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Yankees clubhouse reporter sends fans message about Aaron Boone
Much has been made about whether manager Aaron Boone needs to be less "buddy-buddy with players" amid the New York Yankees' unexpected summer swoon.
YES Network clubhouse reporter Meredith Marakovits wants fans to know Boone won't be changing his personality overnight despite the Yankees' struggles.
"I would say that he’s respected in that clubhouse," Marakovits said about Boone during a recent conversation with Steve Serby of the New York Post. "I think Yankees fans want to see Aaron, after a tough loss, be fiery and pound the desk and call out players. That’s not Aaron Boone. That’s not his personality. He very much is a stay-the-course guy. He has his players' back. And because of that, the players definitely respect him. While I understand the frustration on behalf of the fan base, I most certainly do, that’s just not the way he’s gonna react."
Boone guided the Yankees to the playoffs each year from 2018-22, and the club started last season at 35-25 before captain Aaron Judge was sidelined with a torn ligament in his big right toe. The Yankees never fully recovered from Judge's absences and the club finished the season at 82-80.
More recently, the Yankees entered this week's All-Star break at 58-40 despite sitting at 50-22 on June 14. Second-place New York will begin Friday trailing the first-place Baltimore Orioles (58-38) by one game in the American League East standings.
"It’s a long season," Marakovits added about the Yankees' latest slump. "As much as fans might hate that answer, it is a long season. ...Yes, the roster has holes, every roster has holes. But curious to see who they get back from the [injured list], and what the organization does at the [July 30 MLB trade deadline]. They always do something. So I would not hit the panic button just yet with 60-plus games to play."
Yankees senior vice president and general manager Brian Cashman will certainly look for bullpen and lineup help before the final Tuesday of July arrives. Additionally, there's no indication Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner will fire Boone before the end of the season.
Boone is in the last guaranteed year of a contract that includes a club option for 2025. But he could be shown the door in October if the Yankees' World Series drought that began in 2010 continues through this fall.
Whatever happens over the next few months, though, it sounds like Boone will stay true to himself regardless of what critics think.
More must-reads:
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