When Michael Kay asked Yankees manager Aaron Boone how “sick to your stomach” he’ll be watching Aaron Judge lead Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, he expected the typical manager response: thinly veiled concern wrapped in diplomatic support.
Instead, Boone’s answer on the YES Network’s “Yankees Hot Stove” show revealed something much more genuine — actual enthusiasm for his superstar playing in the international tournament.
“I’m actually excited for Aaron and that’s not politically correct,” Boone stated firmly in a clip shared on X/Twitter. “I’m excited for him because I know he didn’t do it the last time.”
This candid answer stands in stark contrast to the anxiety most MLB managers express when their star players participate in the WBC. The tournament’s timing — during spring training when players are still ramping up — has historically made front offices nervous about injury risks.
The devastating injury to Mets closer Edwin Diaz, who tore his patellar tendon during Puerto Rico’s celebration and missed the entire 2023 season, in the last WBC only intensified those concerns.
Kay directly referenced the Diaz situation, asking Boone if he worries about a similar fate for Judge.
While acknowledging the inherent risks, Boone refused to let fear overshadow what he sees as an important opportunity for both Judge and baseball.
“Well, look, any play time, you’re playing high stakes baseball that early in the year, there’s a little bit of concern, but it’s also, it’s become a big part of our sport and you understand that,” Boone explained.
What’s most striking about Boone’s perspective is his belief that Judge’s participation isn’t just acceptable — it’s appropriate given his stature in the game.
After Judge declined participation in the previous WBC tournament to focus on his new role as Yankees captain, Boone sees this as the natural progression for a player of Judge’s caliber.
“I think a player of his magnitude, of his Caliber. And I think as popular as we’ve seen this tournament or whatever you want to call it become, and certainly last time it was a special, special event,” Boone said. “I think the fact that Aaron Judge is captaining the US Team, I think it’s the right thing.”
The Yankees manager is balancing multiple considerations — the health of his franchise cornerstone, the growth of international baseball, and Judge’s personal development. Rather than seeing these as competing interests, Boone views them as complementary, suggesting that high-level international competition might actually benefit players.
“You realize the value that it can provide for these guys to go really compete at this level,” he noted, though he admitted pitchers create more anxiety than position players like Judge.
While no manager can eliminate the worry entirely, Boone’s refreshingly enthusiastic stance reveals much about his leadership philosophy and relationship with Judge. It also signals the WBC’s growing importance in baseball’s ecosystem.