New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone brushed off criticism from Aaron Judge's personal hitting coach, while Judge remained unfazed by the comments, despite the Yankees' recent struggles.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed indifference towards criticism from Aaron Judge's personal hitting coach, Richard Schenck, who had publicly criticized the team's offensive player development. Despite Schenck's assertion that the Yankees had lost 13 out of 18 games while Judge was performing at an MVP level, Boone remained unyielding in his focus on the team's performance.
"People are going to say things and certainly everyone's entitled their opinion," Boone said. "Especially when you go through a tough stretch and you wear this uniform, I know people are going to take shots. So you can't get all consumed with all that stuff. We've got enough to worry about making sure we're buttoned up and putting our best foot forward every day."
Judge echoed Boone's sentiments, dismissing the criticism on Twitter as irrelevant. "I honestly really don't care what's said on Twitter," Judge said. "It doesn't involve me, to be honest. It's somebody else making a comment."
Despite Judge's impressive statistics, the Yankees have struggled offensively in recent weeks. They entered Friday's game against the Boston Red Sox with a .248 team batting average, ranked 10th among the 30 MLB teams. Since June 3, their batting average has dropped to .221, ahead of only Detroit, Kansas City, and Seattle.
Key injuries to Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton have contributed to the Yankees' offensive woes. Rizzo has been sidelined with a broken forearm since June 16, while Stanton has been out with a strained hamstring since June 22.
In addition to their offensive struggles, the Yankees have also faced criticism for their lack of hustle. Manager Aaron Boone spoke to center fielder Trent Grisham after he failed to hustle in the ninth inning of Thursday's loss to the Cincinnati Reds. "It's a bad look," Boone said of Grisham's error.
Boone acknowledged that Grisham is a talented player but emphasized the importance of fundamental play. "With that, just be mindful of certain routine things," Boone said. "You don't want to lose that heartbeat, but be mindful of the routine things."
Despite his criticism, Boone remains optimistic about the team's potential. "We've got a really good team," Boone said. "We've got a lot of guys in here that can play. We've just got to get back to playing our baseball."
The Yankees will look to rebound from their recent struggles when they face the Red Sox in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.
