The summer heat in the Bronx makes baseball feel heavier in a peculiar way. And the air around the Yankees is thick—not from fireworks, but from the heavy expectations they can’t meet. The NYY should have been building momentum for October by mid-August, but their inconsistency has hindered them. The team has hit 190 home runs (1st in MLB) and scored 611 runs (3rd), yet their .250 batting average ranks 13th. Power? A lot. Consistency? Not really. Despite still being in the race, insiders lack confidence in them, and especially in their skipper, Aaron Boone.

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo made an appearance on The Show with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman, and he directly took a jab at Aaron Boone. He said, “Boone has been there for a long time; everyone thinks he’s a great guy, but I don’t trust him in a big game… Aaron Judge can’t do it all by himself. Bellinger has been great. I’d be more worried about the Yankees.”

What Russo said holds, and the numbers back it up. Aaron Judge leads the league with a .337 average and 1.141 OPS. Beyond that, he has 38 homers and 88 RBIs, making him a powerful threat at the plate. Simultaneously, Cody Bellinger has also shown consistency at the plate, with an average of .270, .818 OPS, 22 homers, and 69 RBIs.

The Yankees’ pitching has been problematic, with a 4.05 team ERA ranking them 17th in the league while they are 4th in strikeouts (1,066). This mix of control issues and poor hitting has led to losses in games they should have won.

But why was Aaron Boone part of Russo’s breakdown? It might be because of his questionable decisions. Like having Devin Williams, even after bad outings, and Anthony Volpe, who makes too many mistakes that cost the Yankees losses. And not only the mistakes, the Yankees haven’t won the World Series Championship since he took the leadership charge in 2018. As Russo said, “He’s been there a long time without a World Series win.”

And that’s not it. For Russo, Aaron Boone doesn’t even stand in the top 5 managers, as he said, “How do the Yankees have a manager who’s the eighth-best — and now, you guys might think he’s higher than I, but I think there’s eight managers in this sport better than freaking Boone.” He went on: “I mean, I’m not going to give you (Brian) Snitker because he’s old, but he won a world championship too. Hinch, Francona, Bochy, Roberts, Lovullo, Cora, there’s a lot of managers in this sport who are better than Boone. He is barely in the top 10.”

With all these doubts about the leadership, inconsistencies, and mistakes, the chances of a playoff might go thin this season. And that’s exactly what he pointed out next.

Russo said, “Cleveland is playing great right now … I actually think the Yankees are threatened more about their wild-card status, because Cleveland is more dangerous than the Reds and Texas…” He named other teams that could be dangerous, such as the Guardians, Seattle, and Houston.

The standings show that NYY is in third place in the AL East, behind Toronto and Boston. They are also in the last wild-card spot with a record of 64-56. Cleveland is only 1.5 games behind, and their late-season surge has made it a threat. One thing is clear: the playoff race isn’t going to be an easy one. And interestingly, despite all the doubts, a voice has defended Aaron Boone.

In Aaron Boone’s corner: A former teammate offers perspective

Former Yankee Clint Frazier has come to the defense of manager Aaron Boone, who is facing a lot of criticism. Frazier made it clear that his support wasn’t based on personal loyalty, speaking from his time in the clubhouse. Frazier added, “I want to emphasize that I have no reason to back up anyone on the Yankees—as a person inside that locker room who’s been around that guy, if you fire Boone, you have to fire a lot of other people too.”

Frazier’s defense wasn’t just a blanket compliment; it was a direct take on the Yankees’ decision-making process. He called Boone “just the mouthpiece inside the organization,” which suggests that the analytics crew and front office have more say in game decisions than most fans think. He thought it would be pointless to fire Boone without fixing the system. Well, inside the clubhouse, he is liked by the Captain, too.

Aaron Judge has also said nice things about Aaron Boone’s leadership. Judge stated when Boone’s contract was extended, “The No. 1 thing is the care and passion he has for everybody in this room.” “It doesn’t matter if you’re first year in here… he’s going to make you feel like you’re the most important person in the room.”

So, if the shake-ups occur, would firing Boone really improve anything, or would they only make things worse?