Aaron Boone had said it right—it’s right in front of them. And honestly, after the last few weeks of winning games back to back, it seems like good baseball truly was in front of them. But wait, hold on, except those teams are not really playoff contenders. What’s really in front of them is the Houston Astros, and given the rivalry, history, and the fact that they are not a weak team, the real test for the Yankees begins then. For now, the turbulence from the fans seems to have calmed, but well, things within the clubhouse seem far from fine.

The first glimpse of which we caught was when Aaron Judge and Aaron Boone completely disagreed with each other. Boone, when asked about Judge’s return to his usual spot, said he isn’t sure if he can make it this year. Judge fired back, saying, “He hasn’t seen me throw the past two weeks. I’m pretty confident I’ll get back to that.” Ouch! First, why isn’t the manager wary about his captain? Also, this is way out of character for Judge to speak against anyone, let alone the manager.

And now, yet again, it seems like the captain and manager don’t see eye to eye on another aspect. So Judge, who has been hot and fiery, stepped up as the vocal leader for his teammates. With the Yankees facing the toughest stretch of the season, first with Houston, then the Blue Jays, Tigers, and Red Sox, Judge made his expectations clear.

 Judge said, “We’ve got to show up every single day and prove it. It doesn’t matter what we did on the past road trip; it doesn’t matter if it was good or bad…got to show up every single day here. We’ve got something to prove, more to ourselves than anybody else. We’ve got a special team here, and guys know the opportunity we’ve got ahead of us. The boys are fired up. We’re ready to go.” Finally, he is speaking up like the captain he is supposed to be, right? You’d think that Boone would be on the same line. But he really isn’t.

Boone, who normally is always on his player’s side, decided to suddenly throw an ultimatum or simply the truth about baseball. “We have a very confident group that knows when we play well, we’re capable of beating anyone. And if we don’t, anyone can beat us. It’s that simple. It’s sports. We get to find out and write the story.” Well, fans were asking for an honest Boone, as he kept protecting Volpe, and maybe this is him turning a page. Either way, the message is clear—the New York Yankees clubhouse seems divided on the future of the team. But this couldn’t be at a worse time, given their fate can be defined by their next 12 games.

Aaron Boone shakes up Yankees’ outfield with massive news

Well, if there is something Bronx wants to say to Boone right now, it is—so much for sticking to the script. He surprised everyone on his Talkin’ Yanks appearance by announcing that Giancarlo Stanton will start in left field tonight in Houston. That’s right! This is a high-pressure game, and this is Stanton’s first game in left since September 2023 at Fenway. Boone also slipped in the fact that Judge is “getting close” to returning to defense, but he kept the timeline rather vague.

The timing is strange, given that just two days ago, Boone had mentioned that he was not planning on Stanton in left at Minute Maid Park. He had also praised Stanton’s run on the right and insisted that they are still cautious, but well, apparently not. But the question is, why now? Well, it’s about getting more of the crowded lineup. Given that Aaron Judge is rehabbing and the DH spot is full, flexibility matters the most.

Left field in Houston doesn’t demand much range, and hence, Stanton there means Boone can maximize every at-bat. If Stanton can show he is great, then it frees the DH carousel and also gives the Yankees more options when Judge is back to usual on the right. Of course, it is risky, given Stanton has a history of leg injuries and October is just around the corner. Not to mention, after the Houston Astros, they have to face the Blue Jays and the Red Sox. But maybe right now comfort won’t cut it, and they have to risk it to survive.