3 times Aaron Boone could’ve been fired this season and 1 reason he shouldn’t be

Why Aaron Boone shouldn’t be fired: He is dealing with his options

On the flip side, Boone is working with what he has. The team has been without three expected starting pitchers. They’re missing key pieces of the bullpen. They’ve been without some of the biggest bats in the lineup, and the outfield has been in shambles. Fans might be tired of hearing the injuries excuse, but Boone can only make a lineup with who is available.

Although Harrison Bader has returned, there was a time when the team was without Bader, Stanton, and Judge. With all three of these players on the shelf, Boone didn’t have much flexibility when making a lineup. Someone had to play.

Sometimes managers push the right buttons and sometimes they don’t. Using the pieces he has, Boone can still push the right buttons, like on May 3, with Trevino’s pinch-hit walk-off single.

This team doesn’t have the same magic as the 2019 Yankees, the “Next Man Up” era. While the injury bug bites every team at some point or another, 2019 was the year the Yankees faced more injury woes than ever before, and Boone had to get creative with the lineups. “No matter who Aaron Boone puts in the lineup, it’s just been a tidal wave, an avalanche,” Alex Rodriguez said at the time. It seemed every guy Boone wrote into the lineup created some magic. That just hasn’t happened this year with the Yankees’ depth pieces.

Fans want someone to blame for the current last-place Yankees. A lot of the blame falls to the manager, but perhaps eyes should look further up to the general manager. Brian Cashman put this roster together. Boone isn’t responsible for the lack of a true closer on the roster or for the lack of depth. And let’s be real, if Boone is fired, the next manager selected would be someone who would also follow the front office’s way of running things.

Time will tell if the Yankees can straighten things out. It’s a long season, and this one might feel a little longer than usual.