Yankees: What in the world is Aaron Boone doing?

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - APRIL 26: Manager Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees (L) argues with umpire Greg Gibson #53 after being ejected from the ballgame during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 26, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - APRIL 26: Manager Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees (L) argues with umpire Greg Gibson #53 after being ejected from the ballgame during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 26, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The carousel of blame is never-ending for the New York Yankees. And just because they got a win on Tuesday night isn’t going to make everyone forget what’s happened on Sunday and Monday.

At this point, most fans would only absolve Gio Urshela of any blame. He’s been playing tremendous defense and has been fairly consistent at the plate even after undergoing offseason elbow surgery.

Everyone else? Into the flaming garbage can. The Yankees are 10-13 and every time they manage to obtain a shred of momentum, they then put up an even bigger stinker than the last to halt themselves in their tracks.

Monday was the latest such instance, and now we can’t help but ask, “What in the world is manager Aaron Boone doing?”

Is Boone the main culprit of all the Yankees’ glaring problems? Absolutely not, but he’s also not helping! Most of his decisions feel wrong, whether or not they actually are.

Let’s start with before Monday night’s game. For the second day in a row, he started Rougned Odor in the cleanup spot, after putting up a Sunday lineup that was clearly designed to punt the series finale. Can someone explain why?

What is Yankees manager Aaron Boone doing?

Odor certainly saved the Yankees in a way during the series in Cleveland, but since when do two timely hits earn you a promotion to one of the most important spots in the lineup?

The former Ranger is merely a luxury at this point who should be used to deepen the lineup — not be used as a focal point. His value is maximized when he’s hitting at the bottom of the order. His presence, in a sense, doesn’t give opposing pitchers a break. He’s yet another big-league power bat who can do damage at any given time. But he’s not the consistent, disciplined star who should be batting fourth.

As for in-game decisions, what’s the point of bringing up Deivi Garcia for a start if he’s going to be removed after just four innings and 65 pitches? Wasn’t the whole point of this to help rest the rotation and the bullpen?

Garcia proved last year he can provide length, going at least six innings in a majority of his outings. He didn’t have his best stuff on Monday night, but he was at least good for another inning, which could’ve helped the Yanks avoid using one of Darren O’Day or Justin Wilson, who should be preserved for wins when the team is actually getting runners on base.

There’s no reason the 21-year-old should be reined in after 65 pitches. He’s a professional.

And how about snap decision-making in crucial spots? We can go back and forth about how the umpires were unfair when giving Boone an opportunity to challenge a crucial play in the eighth when Aaron Judge was thrown out at third base to end the inning … but why is Boone even waiting a second to decide if he wants to challenge or not?

It’s the EIGHTH INNING. What are you saving the challenge for?! Based on how the Yankees were playing, there was no chance there would’ve been a bigger spot than two outs with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth when they were down three. This is an immediate “run out of the dugout and call for a challenge” situation, and then you let the umps know exactly what instance of the play you’re disputing. The fact there was even a hesitation further shows this team has no urgency and is hardly ever aware of a given situation.

Then he said he was bullied by the umpires? I mean, come on. Getting ejected and freaking out was cool, but then rolling over like this in the postgame is embarrassing.

The baserunning blunders continues on Tuesday night, too. Gleyber Torres was caught stealing on a weak attempt and Phil Nevin oddly sent Giancarlo Stanton home from second base on a single to left field. He was throw out by 20 feet.

And we can’t forget the catching controversy that’s already happening in April! Remember when Boone said Gerrit Cole wouldn’t have a personal catcher and that Gary Sanchez would be the starter … and the Sanchez caught one of Cole’s first five starts? Now the playing time between Sanchez and Kyle Higashioka is going to be determined on a day-to-day basis. Why couldn’t he have been honest with the fans since the beginning? It only took four weeks to this narrative to completely change course. Nobody’s complaining about Higgy getting more playing time … it’s just another instance of everyone being misled by comments.

The Yankees are all out of sorts right now. Don’t let Tuesday night’s 12-hit, five run performance fool you. They’re capable of doing that every so often. Thankfully, we’re just 23 games in and it’s still April. We have five more months to go. But it’s fair to question what on earth is going on at the moment, especially with some of the main figures in the organization.