by Here we go again. The microphones are warm, the quotes are safe, and the message is basically this: we were good, they were better, see you in the spring. If you watched Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman talk today and felt déjà vu, welcome to the club. The Bronx is stuck on repeat, and the only thing changing is the date on the calendar.
Boone’s Story: Best Team He Ever Managed, Then Toronto Happened
Toward the end of the season Boone called this maybe the best team he has ever managed. He doubled down today, said the timing finally clicked late, the group was healthy enough, the ways to win were there. Then the Blue Jays walked in and blew the doors off. Boone admitted the Jays “put it on us” and the Yankees could not keep them off the board. That is the whole series right there. Out-executed. Out-scored. Out-early.
That is not some galaxy-brain breakdown. That is a manager telling you the other guys played better baseball and the Yankees did not have an answer. Again. If this was truly the best group he ever had, why did it look like the same movie in October? Why do we always get strong words in the fall and the same funeral music a week later?
Injury File: Volpe Delayed, Judge Clean, Rodón Late
- Anthony Volpe: Left shoulder arthroscopic labral repair. Boone says four months to start hitting, six months before he can dive without restrictions. Translation: delayed for Opening Day, likely on rehab when the season starts.
- Aaron Judge: MRI after the season showed improvement in the flexor area. No surgery. Full-time right fielder. Great. Keep him there and give him a lineup that does not require him to play superhero every night.
- Carlos Rodón: Elbow scope to remove loose bodies and shave a spur. Eight weeks of no throwing. Do the math and he is probably late out of the gate. They say April or early May. Heard this rhythm before?
- Gerrit Cole: Progressing. Light mounds next week, build-up during spring, not Opening Day, but hopefully not far behind.
- Clarke Schmidt: About fourteen weeks post-op. Throwing program mid December. Second half target.
And then Cashman added the twist on Volpe that tells you all you need to know. The cleanout was more significant than the MRI suggested. So was it affecting him or not? Boone says it was mostly fine. Cashman says it probably mattered more than they thought. Which one is it? Mixed messages in Yankee-land are becoming a tradition. Fans are tired of decoding front office hieroglyphics just to figure out why the shortstop looked banged up for months.
Roles and Turf: Domínguez in Left, Volpe Still at Short
Boone expects Jasson Domínguez to be the left fielder and wants him to keep improving on defense and from the right side. He even wants winter ball reps. Good. Play. Learn. Grow. The kid has juice on the bases, athleticism in the outfield, and real pop that can show up any time.
Volpe remains the shortstop when healthy, per both Boone and Cashman. That is a bet on the 24 year old’s makeup and defense rebounding to the late season level. Offense still needs to climb. No argument there. The question is what happens in April if he is not ready. Do you trust the bench mix to cover real innings at short? We better have a plan that is more than hoping a utility glove turns into prime Ozzie Smith for a month.
Staff Shuffle: Curtains Changed, Not the House
First base coach Travis Chapman is out. Longtime bullpen coach Mike Harkey is out. Hitting staff assistant Pat Roessler is out of his old role. Jake Hurst joins the big league hitting group as an assistant. Those are real people with real résumés, but let’s be honest: this is not a philosophical earthquake. As Joel Sherman put it, the band is still the band. New drummer, same set list.
Cashman’s Message: Hungry Again, Answers Later
Cashman said the obvious. Good team, failed the ultimate goal. Areas of weakness get attacked every winter. He will not unpack specifics yet. He praised Cody Bellinger for being impactful, expects an opt out, and left the door open for anything and everything. He also said Hal Steinbrenner is frustrated and wants a title. Good. Show it with moves, not quotes. The rest was greatest hits. Process. Compete. Take another shot. Prize fighters in the ring. That is cool imagery. It does not change the scoreboard.
The October Problem No One Fixes
Boone said it: in October you have to play at the highest level for a whole month. The Yankees keep arriving at the door and forgetting the key. Pitching melts at the wrong time. The bats go quiet when the leverage spikes. The basepaths get loud in the worst way. Every year the postmortem sounds like a talk-back circle. We believe. We tried. The opponent was tough. See you next tour.
Fans are not dumb. They clock the contradictions. Volpe was fine until he was not. Rodón was fine until the scope. Judge is fine now, but we still hold our breath. We call it fine because we live on hope. That is how it goes in the Bronx when the parade floats collect dust.
What Needs To Happen Right Now
- Build the first two weeks like Game Seven. If Rodón is late and Cole is ramping, you need real rotation insulation, not a wish list. Depth pieces you trust, not lottery tickets.
- Give Judge a middle order that hits when the lights blind. If Bellinger is truly a fit, act like it. If not, find a bat that moves the run expectancy needle in big spots.
- Stop the medical muddle. If a player says he feels great and the film says otherwise, trust the film and the data. Protect the player from himself. Protect the season.
- Domínguez development is non negotiable. Let him play, fail, adjust, then unleash. Athleticism wins in October. He brings that in buckets.
- Shortstop coverage plan. Volpe’s rehab timeline is what it is. Get a real glove with a heartbeat to cover April if needed. Do not gamble April away.
Final Word
This fanbase is not asking for poetry. We are asking for a plan that shows up on the field when it matters. Boone believes in the room. Cashman believes in the process. Hal is frustrated. The rest of us are tired of hearing about belief without the finish. The Yankees keep getting to the red zone and settling for field goals while the parade route keeps its cobwebs.
You want the Bronx to believe again? Win the winter. Win April. Then win October. Not with speeches. With outs, with swings, with courage when the count is ugly and the season is on the line.
