Aaron Boone Vehemently Defends Anthony Volpe, Clay Holmes Amid Recent Criticisms

Karl Rasmussen | Aug 21, 2024

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) in the dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone came to the defense of both closer Clay Holmes and shortstop Anthony Volpe amid questions about their dip in production of late.

In a conversation with Jomboy Media, Boone got a bit riled up while defending the play of Volpe, who has struggled offensively throughout the season, and particularly in the month of August.

Volpe is slashing .186/.238/.339 with a .577 OPS in 15 games this month. When criticized for his poor performances at the plate, Boone clapped back, suggesting that the concern was overblown and argued that Volpe's defense, which he called the best in baseball, more than made up for his "league average or below league average" hitting.

"Add it all up, he's a winning player. Stop it. What if he goes out and has two good offensive weeks and he's at a .720 OPS and the best defender in the league. Yeah, you got yourself a pretty damn good player right there. It's not linear. It's not just shoot to the moon," Boone said.

Aaron Boone got HEATED while defending Anthony Volpe pic.twitter.com/jpYXabNkjl

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 20, 2024

On the topic of Holmes, Boone spoke similarly, saying that he expects the right-hander to bounce back and be his usual self despite a shaky last few appearances.

Holmes leads MLB with 10 blown saves. He was unsuccessful in closing the door on the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 18, surrendering the game-deciding run in a 3–2 defeat.

Aaron Boone discussed Clay Holmes' recent play and the state of the bullpen earlier today with @M_Marakovits and the rest of the media. #YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/z0M2RCm3MZ

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 20, 2024

"I think moving forward you expect him to be really good, because he is really good. And that's where he's at if you really break down his outings," Boone told reporters on Tuesday, though he didn't bat down the potential of using a closer-by-committee approach going forward.

New York begins a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.