There honestly is never a dull moment in the New York Yankee universe. Just when you think you have seen it all, the Yankees do something completely out of the blue. Aaron Boone, for example, shook up the lineup again and threw the $325 million man- Giancarlo Stanton right back into right field. Aaron Judge, meanwhile, is in his DH duties, all due to the nagging flexor strain. Now, if you are a fan, you may feel two things with this move—excitement or maybe anxiety.

The latter is mostly given, given that Stanton just only missed the Cardinals series, given his lower body had started giving warning signs again. Sure, he has the power, and he proved it time and again, but his injury list is longer than the Red Sox-Yankee rivalry. But then again, what was Boone supposed to do? Judge can’t throw, and hence, now Stanton was the best bet for him. And he is confident about him.

Boone just recently couldn’t stop gushing over Stanton, saying, “He’s very in tune with his body and incredibly mentally disciplined.” However, not everyone is convinced that this is the right decision to make. And well, everyone after all has that lingering fear of—please don’t get him to IL again, not when the playoffs are hovering near.

Former MLB executive David Samson, who doesn’t mince words, didn’t hold back. Samson said, “In today’s game with the New York Yankees, there was a record-breaking amount of offense. There were home runs galore, back-to-back-to-back hits in the first inning. Three Yankees, Bellinger, Stanton, Judge…..However, before the game, that’s when the real drama happened. Because before the game, it became clear that Aaron Judge would no longer be able to play outfield….The problem is that when he plays right field, which he has to do when Aaron Judge is DHing, he has a tendency to get a little sore, which causes him to miss a couple of games, which he just did.”

And that’s the core of the issue—Stanton’s health is the elephant in the room. Otherwise, he has been crushing the ball at a .327 clip since July 1. He has 14 homers and 35 RBIs. And that sheer beat-down Giancarlo, along with Judge and Bellinger, did of the Tampa Bay Rays was phenomenal. A 13-3 edge, and a day with nine homers by the Yankees’ best—a great day for the Bronx. But as they say, nothing is granted in baseball, and injuries can derail everything. Can the Yankees really afford to lose Stanton again? Especially when he is healthy and producing a gameplay that’s MVP level?

Moreover, Tuesday’s second homer by Stanton moved him past Dave Kingman on the all-time home run leaderboard with 443 career blasts. This puts him 43rd in MLB history, and he is still climbing. Now Boone may trust his durability, but the Yankee season could make or break on his stubborn decision to play Stanton in right field. And as far as Boone’s answer of Judge returning to throwing, he is not confident about it.

Yankee skipper and Aaron Judge in a war of words!

The New York Yankees are finally looking like they have woken up. They had a bad run at the start of the month with seven losses in nine games. But they have six wins in their last seven, including a four-game streak—so that’s great. They are right back on top in the American League wild card race. But well, if you think the drama is done for, then think again—it’s far from over.

This time, the drama is between none other than Boone and Aaron Judge—the two Aarons! The issue is Judge’s throwing arm. Now Boone, as mentioned, said that he doesn’t see him throwing again like he normally does at this point this year. “I don’t think we’ll see him throw again like he normally does at any point this year.” But this apparently is far from the truth. He explained that the team wants the captain to be comfortable before plunging in. It’s the reason why the slugger is just a DH now. But the New York Yankee captain was not okay with this answer.

The judge said, “I don’t know why he said that. He hasn’t seen me throw in the last two weeks, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be back to 100%.” Now, this is a complete contradiction of words between them. Boone did backtrack, saying he might have exaggerated a bit, but still, the damage can’t be undone. For now, it’s difficult to ignore the bit; that’s why Boone hasn’t seen Judge throw in two weeks. Judge, meanwhile, is steady as DH, but not completely himself. Given that he has four extra-base hits and seven RBIs in 12 games. But Ray’s run seemed like a good go-ahead for now.