AL WILD CARD SERIES: RED SOX VS YANKEES

September 30, 2026

Aaron Boone

Yankee Stadium

New York Yankees

Pregame Press Conference

Q. With Sonny Gray on the mound you have a lot of lefties in that lineup. What went into the decision when considering Trent Grisham out there in center field and obviously García in there at first?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, look, with this group, I feel like it's going to take everyone. So that's my plan is day in and day out, it's going to be a little different potentially. And that phrase "all hands on deck" certainly applies to us with our team right now. And excited to get a couple of other guys in there that hopefully can impact us in a way tonight.

Q. Cam absolutely dominated yesterday. We've talked about starting pitching all season long with you, but how instrumental has Austin Wells been in all of that behind the playoffs?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, Austin's been awesome back there. He's become just such a premium defender and just -- the catcher presence is so important. And I feel like he's become one of the elite guys back there of just being able to slow the game down, think really well, do the skill part -- blocking, receiving really well -- and just kind of having a slow heartbeat in the most crucial moments. I think those are really, really important qualities for a catcher, and Austin has those.

Q. Back to Grisham for a second, we have not seen him in a Major League game in quite some time. Do you feel like you know exactly what you're gonna get from him out there, or are you still curious as to what he's gonna look like?

AARON BOONE: I know he's ready to go. I liked his at-bat last night when he came in. Hit a ball well to center. I don't know what I'm going to get from any of the guys tonight. But I've got a lot of confidence in who he is and what he can bring to the table.

Q. How much has Sonny Gray improved since he was in the Yankees organization? How much it's helped for you guys to know him better for tonight?

AARON BOONE: I don't know. I mean, that's a long time ago since he was here. He's obviously had an outstanding career, a long career, a long, successful career. Even as he pitches here late in his career, he's still at the top of his game, a guy that spins the ball, moves the ball as well as anyone and really knows how to pitch and I think understands who he is as a pitcher as much as anyone.

He's had a great year, and we know going into this series that we're going to face great pitching. We did last night. We know we get another one tonight in Sonny.

Q. How much has your thoughts on ABS and message to the player evolved during the season to concentrate more on high-leverage situations like you had with Wells and Rosario last night?

AARON BOONE: Well, I think some people would say that Rosario wasn't a high-leverage situation, or Wells in the first inning wasn't. Well, why didn't you save those?

I think we've been good at it. I don't know what's the best or what is -- I think it's going to evolve. I think Austin's got a really good handle on it back there. I think he's been excellent.

We've tried to educate our players as much as you can for something this new.

And, again, I think it's like a new muscle for players to learn. Like, you play the game. You have instincts over what to do in certain situations. This is a new instinct of knowing when to challenge and instinctively within a second, oh, that's a ball; what's the situation? And that's a muscle thing that you've got to develop.

So I think it's going to look a lot different if we have the same system in place three years from now, five years from now, where it is more guys are just really good at it.

Overall, I think we've done a good job. We've had our games where we've had a bad one, but that's part of it. I think overall we've done a pretty good job.

Q. Do you manage this game like it's a Game 7, or it would be Game 3 of this particular series? It's a little different in the sense that there still could be a Game 3 here?

AARON BOONE: We want to win tonight. So, I don't know, it may be a little different. But we're doing all we can to win Game 2. You don't want to give any life and put yourself in a Game 3 scenario. But is that the same as a win-or-go-home? I don't know, but the urgency is there, is the best I can say it.

Q. Was Chisholm versus Volpe a tough decision for you, and how did you arrive at it?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, both days I've considered it. Absolutely. Anthony's come up and done a really good job. Did a really job when he went down of just getting to work and creating that versatility for himself. Has come up and performed well and played well.

But I also feel like Jazz is an important part of this, especially moving forward, that we're going to need both guys to win big. Ultimately, that's where I fell on it.

Q. Obviously Giancarlo's on the roster because you expect big things out of him when he gets in. How much value does he have as just kind of a force in the dugout that Chad Tracy always needs to be thinking about when that could be possibly deployed?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, he's certainly a threat over there. I almost hit him last night in a situation. He's been such an important part of our team and culture now for the years he's been here. He's obviously been an unbelievable postseason performer.

He brings such value to our room and our hitters room. And he usually speaks in these situations. So there's tremendous value there. There's tremendous value in the perseverance he's shown to keep kind of fighting his way to get back.

But that threat that does exist with him is, I think, at least very real.

Q. I know you talked about Judge earlier with the beat guys, but I'm curious, we saw him moving around outside yesterday. Did you guys learn anything from that that tells you anything new about where he is in his progression?

AARON BOONE: I don't know. I think it's been encouraging that a couple nights ago for the workout he was able to get out there for live BP. Again, that wasn't just, he's just going out for live BP. He had to check a lot of boxes for the trainers and the strength guys to say, okay, you're ready for that, you can go do that.

He's getting life at-bats in Somerset today. So I feel like in the couple weeks since the injury, he's made real strides and significant improvements. And hopefully we're in a position to make another decision in a couple of days.

Q. Will he be back for the game tonight? Will he be in the dugout with you guys?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, I would expect him back.

Q. Aaron, last night there were heroes kind of all over the place, kind of how it's been all season. What does it do for a clubhouse when every guy feels like tonight can be their night?

AARON BOONE: It's great. And it has felt that way a lot this year. Like, we're able to win a lot of games, and it was a lot of different people and everyone in that room kind of contributing on different levels. So those are the best kind. When you win games where everyone's kind of getting a hand in it or playing a role, you love that. So I guess in the moment it makes those things a little sweeter.

Q. How have you seen Gerrit, Max and Cam push each other, especially in the playoffs? Do you sense any healthy competition between those three?

AARON BOONE: Yeah, I'd add Rodón to that, too. That's been the strength of our team is who we hand the ball to typically every night. And they're all different in who they are as pitchers. But I think they're really close and support one another. But I do think there's a healthy competition of I want to go out there and be the guy next.

I think that happens a lot, probably, with good rotations over the history of Major League Baseball. But I certainly feel like we have that here, and I think it's an important thing to have.