Aaron Boone discusses Anthony Rizzo’s injury, scrutiny as Yankees manager

In a recent sit-down with MLB.com at Yankee Stadium, Yankees manager Aaron Boone answered a wide range of topics from the 2024 Yankees to the scrutiny he has received over the years.

MLB.com: You have been a Yankees’ manager since 2018. Are the ’24 Yankees your best team?

Aaron Boone: I think there is the potential for that. But I also feel we’ve had years where we have been pretty good. I thought in ‘19, we had a great regular season and that was through a lot of adversity, a lot of injuries and a lot of people came in and played at a high level that we didn’t expect necessarily. [The ‘22 season] was a great year, but going into the playoffs, we were really depleted, like we lost some really key pieces going in. We weren’t necessarily whole going into the playoffs.

This year, we won the division again and we were able to get some key pieces back. I felt we were healthier at the end of the year, although with Nestor [Cortes] going down and Rizz [Anthony Rizzo] going down now, those are blows we have to overcome. But I feel as good about this team as I have in some years going into the playoffs. We are one of those teams with a real chance to win the championship. But we also understand that us and every team is a little bit flawed, too.

MLB.com: How do you replace Cortes and Rizzo?

Boone: I do feel like we have more depth from a starting rotation standpoint, so we are in a better position to handle that. As far as first base goes, if Rizzo can’t go, then it’s Ben Rice, who has received valuable experience this year. Obviously, Oswaldo Cabrera has been an outstanding utility player that can fill in. We’ll get some looks at some other guys over there. If something comes up in the course of a game. It’s an opportunity for someone else to come in and step up.

MLB.com: Losing Rizzo is a big blow. When he is in the lineup, you get great defense. He has been hitting of late, too.

Boone: He has been so good since he has come back defensively. … He has been an anchor for our defense over there. While he hasn’t hit for a ton of power like he has for most of his career, I feel like he has gotten a lot of big hits for us over the last few weeks. I do feel he has given us a lot of quality at-bats, especially hitting down in the order. So, it’s a blow. Plus, his gamesmanship, his moxie, his big-game experience — those are all valuable.

MLB.com: In your heart of hearts, do you think he will be ready in the Division Series?

Boone: No. That is a real long shot. Do I think It’s possible if we move on? Yes. But I feel the Division Series is a long shot.

MLB.com: The Yankees have a long layoff before they play their first game. How do you make sure the team doesn’t fall into the traps of, for example, what the Dodgers and Braves went through last year?

Boone: We had a little experience with this in ‘22. We had the layoff with the extra Wild Card in this format. We came out and won that first series [against Cleveland]. Whatever happens in the first series — whether we win or lose — it’s going to be pointed to: “The layoff was a good thing” or “The layoff was a bad thing.” It’s probably not the reality. It’s probably more just a five-game series, baseball and anything can happen. I feel like last year and this year there seems to be a ton of parity in Major League Baseball right now.

MLB.com: What are your plans to get your guys ready for the American League Division Series?

Boone: Monday [was] an off day. Then we [started] working out on Tuesday. On Wednesday and Thursday, it will most likely be a lot of live and simulated-type situations for our pitchers and position players. So we’ll kind of strike that balance between getting guys some rest, and also keeping them sharp and making sure they get some live kind of game-type looks.

MLB.com: You have a [regular-season] winning percentage of .584, two 100-win seasons and five 90-plus win seasons. But I’ve never seen a manager get scrutinized the way you do. How do you feel about it?

Boone: Look, it comes with the territory when you get the opportunity with the Yankees. Obviously, we have big expectations every single year. You are never going to please everyone. If you are chasing that, you are not in the right business. I try and help put our team in the position to be the best it can possibly be and look forward to going out and competing and letting the chips fall as they may.

MLB.com: Maybe it’s just me. Why do you get so much criticism, though? I don’t get it.

Boone: Again, I don’t know. It goes with the territory. We haven’t won it all yet. So, I’m confident in what I do. I think I’m pretty good at this, but you can’t get caught up in the outside noise of criticism or praise for that matter. I have a job to do. That’s where my focus lies.

MLB.com: When you are off the field, how do you get rid of that outside noise? What do you like to do?

Boone: When I’m on the road, I like to spend time with coaches — if we have an opportunity to go to dinner. When I’m at home, I have the opportunity to spend time with my family — try to be unplugged as best as you can. It’s not always as easy, but I do try and separate and try to have what I call perspective on like — this is obviously our livelihood. It matters a lot to us, certainly to a lot of people out there, a lot of the fanbase. But you also have that perspective that this is a game, it’s a job. Through the best of moments, through the toughest of moments, you try to hang on to that perspective.

MLB.com: What’s the biggest thing your family ever said to you to get rid of the noise?

Boone: I don’t know if they said anything. This is what I’ve lived my entire life. I’ve grown up in this life. I grew up in a clubhouse in Philadelphia, so I know what a tough fanbase looks like from the time I could walk. So this is what I know. The grind is what I know and what I’ve lived and what my family has lived. It’s part of it.

MLB.com: Do you believe in the quote, “World Series or bust?”

Boone: Sure. That’s what we set out to do. We’ve put ourselves now in a position to go compete for a World Championship. That was kind of our first goal. The first goal was to get in the playoffs. We could win our division. We’ve done those two things. We’ve set ourselves up. Now, it’s tournament baseball, and we are excited to take our shot. We expect to — and want to — win a World Championship and bring that back to New York.

MLB.com: Is managing better than what you thought? You left the broadcasting world to go into the dugout.

Boone: I love it. I love the people I get to do it with. I love my players. It has been an awesome, awesome experience. It’s challenging. It has its moments that are really tough [and] wear on you. I’m not going to lie. But, yeah, I love the competition and playing for something meaningful every single day.

MLB.com: What does being a Yankee mean to you?

Boone: It means a lot. I got a taste of it as a player — briefly for just a few months. Coming back to this organization [in ’18] … chasing a championship matters to so many people that I get to do this job with and I’m appreciative of that every day.

MLB.com: Do you expect the Yankees to pick up your option for next year?

Boone: I don’t know. That’s for another day. My job right now is to try and get us ready and focus on the Division Series on Saturday. [The option is] nowhere on the forefront of my mind now.