Yankees’ Aaron Boone Ripped for ‘Bad Move’ on Struggling All-Star

Getty Yankees manager Aaron Boone has made no commitment on closer Clay Holmes

We’ve seen this all before, haven’t we? The Yankees are using a clearly struggling veteran, but rather than making a move — rather than making a bold change before the situation gets too bad to fix — the team keeps its faith in the known commodity, even if that faith helps sink the team’s ship.

The Yankees have been criticized for sticking with veteran left fielder Alex Verdugo — who has hit better lately, but is batting just .235 on the year — in the lineup rather than bringing up top prospect outfielder Jasson Dominguez. Similarly, the Yankees are sticking with veteran Clay Holmes as the team’s closer despite a continued run of unreliability that was highlighted September 3 by a disastrous walk-off grand slam by Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford.

It was Holmes’ league-high 11th blown save, and it came despite assurances from manager Aaron Boone back on August 18, after Holmes’ 10th blown save, that the Yankees could move toward a closer-by-committee strategy.

Yankees’ Aaron Boone Has Avoided Other Closer Options

Like many Yankees observers, NJ.com’s Randy Miller has seen enough, calling out Boone for his inaction. While pointing out that Holmes is second in the American League with 29 saves and has a respectable 3.27 ERA, Miller added that Holmes’ collapses are more of a recent phenomenon — he has a 5.14 ERA in his last 37 games.

“This is a 3 ½-month slump that hasn’t been addressed, even though the closer job is among the most important on the team,” Miller wrote.

“The Yankees can’t give Holmes a chance to blow the season in October the way Aroldis Chapman did in 2019 and 2020,” he wrote.

Miller outlined options Boone could be trying at this point in the season — Tommy Kahnle, Luke Weaver, Jake Cousins, Ron Marinaccio, even starter Luis Gil. “How about a closer by committee?” he wrote. “How about something different? Anything.”

Boone had those choices available to him before but has chosen not to act on any of them, instead sticking with Holmes despite his obvious struggles. And for a short while, Boone’s loyalty seemed justified. Holmes allowed just one hit and no runs in his four outings before Tuesday’s mess.

Clay Holmes a Victim of Bad Luck?

Now, though, it is getting increasingly difficult not to somehow address the closer problem, even if time is running short. Holmes looked a bit lost on Tuesday, unable to throw strikes as he allowed a single, then walked back-to-back batter, setting up Langford’s grand slam — which came on a hanging slider that did not slide.

Boone was asked about sticking with Holmes as the closer. He declined to get specific, saying (via the New York Post): “I’m not going to answer that right now when we’re raw and emotional. We’ll talk through it and do what we think is the best thing.”

Boone added, via The Athletic, that Holmes has been something of a victim of bad luck this season, as it has been “soft contact” that has led to his downfall and that he has been mechanically sound all season.

“I don’t feel he’s had a lot of those stretches this year,” Boone said. “A lot of the times where we’ve lost out there, it’s been soft contact beating him. Obviously, that wasn’t the case tonight.

“I think he handles all this very well, and he’s tough-minded for it, but obviously some tough ones here of late. We gotta support him and make sure he’s right. He’s a big part of what we’re doing back there.”