It’s no secret by now—Aaron Boone wears his heart on his sleeve—well, at least when it comes to defending his players. He has been under the fan radar plenty of times for standing up for his players. Sometimes, even when not required! And, just how deeply Boone cares came out loud and clear in a surprisingly heated moment that caught everyone’s attention.

Boone lost his cool during the Talkin’ Yanks podcast, and people took notice. But the conversation was always going to get uncomfortable. The Yankees have just dropped a 4-1 game to the Blue Jays, and Anthony Volpe, who was seen as the franchise’ next big thing, made another brutal error. So when the podcast host pressed Boone about Volpe’s disappointing numbers and maybe a lingering shoulder issue from May as the reason, the manager bristled—and pretty poorly! “He’s still that defender,” Boone said firmly. “He’s made three or four mistakes.” Except that’s far from true.

Volpe leads MLB with 12 errors, and many have been in game-altering moments. That inconsistency has become hard to deny, but the front office is still denying it. However, ex-Marlins president David Samson is not shy about pointing out issues. “The reality is that he’s one of the worst qualifying hitters,” he asserted on Nothing Personal with David Samson podcast.

“Then you turn around and realize that his defense is horrific. So, not only is he the fifth-worst in MLB among qualified hitters, but he also has the MLB lead in errors at shortstop,” Samson further added. He went in a step forward and even compared Volpe to Kevin Maas, a Yankee phenom turned footnote, mentioning, “So I’m trying to figure out what Volpe is doing well. He’s not hitting. He’s not fielding.” 

And Samson was not just making noise; his words hit home in the wake of Volpe’s latest blunder. A fifth-inning throwing error against Toronto that let a run score and killed the New York Yankees’ momentum. Carlos Rodon also stared in disbelief from the mound, and fans all groaned in unison. But still Boone… had his guy’s back.

Not just Boone, even Brian Cashman mentioned, “[Anthony Volpe] he’s our shortstop.” It’s strange because it’s not the time to be calm. Sure, there is a lot of season left to be played, but this is not an early late; it’s a late middle territory that’s going on right now. Hence, several fans have called out the team for being laid-back, a narrative Boone clapped back against, too. While on one hand, Boone has been shielding Volpe from public scrutiny, he’s also been handing out flowers—and this time to a rookie of everyone!

Aaron Boone hands the rookie his flowers after an eye-watering performance

The Yankees are climbing back to the AL East conversation, and one of the reasons, which is surprising, is Cam Schlittler—the 24-year-old flamethrower. After a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, Boone didn’t hesitate to praise Schlitter and his mentality. It was not just about his stuff but also how he carried himself that impressed the skipper. “The one thing that strikes me about Cam is his confidence… He’s not afraid,” he told reporters.

And really, who wouldn’t be impressed? In just his second MLB start, Schlittler kept Toronto to two earned runs across five innings. It ended their 11-game home win streak in the process. That’s not a small feat, especially for a guy who was drafted in the seventh round just two years ago. He just debuted earlier this month at Yankee Stadium. And he made noise from the get-go by touching triple digits while striking out seven Mariners. Fans gave him a standing ovation, and now, with back-to-back solid outings, he is also giving front offices something to think about.

Given that Max Fried is coming back soon and the trade deadline is coming closer, Schlittler’s timing couldn’t really be any better. The Yankees are trying to balance contention with long-term planning, and this rookie could shift the calculations. Boone for sure sees that mental edge in him, and if you need to play in NY, that’s a prerequisite, is it not?

What do you think about the New York Yankees now? Let us know.