Yankees Notebook: Aaron Boone has had some extension talks, Jake Cousins injured

TAMPA — With pitchers and catchers reporting to Yankees campy connected Monday and Aaron Boone successful the last twelvemonth of his contract, the manager said that the taxable of an hold has been discussed.

“Nothing’s happened yet,” the 51-year-old said. “I cognize determination person been immoderate talks astir that. That’ll grip itself and enactment itself out. The world is I’m truthful fired up to beryllium present contiguous and to get to enactment for this enactment and for [Yankees proprietor Hal Steinbrenner] that hopefully thing does enactment out. There’s nary different spot I’d alternatively be, and nary different squad I’d alternatively beryllium doing it with. So we’ll spot however that worldly plays out. But we astatine slightest person had immoderate talks.”

That’s nary surprise, arsenic Steinbrenner precocious said specified talks were successful his plans aft Boone took the Yankees to the World Series for the archetypal clip successful his managerial vocation past season. Boone had a squad enactment for the 2025 play picked up soon thereafter.

“We volition beryllium talking with him successful the days and weeks to come,” Steinbrenner told the YES Network successful precocious January.

The 2025 play volition people Boone’s eighth play astatine the helm. While the skipper has received disapproval from fans passim his clip with the Yankees, he’s taken the squad to the playoffs successful each but 1 season, 2023, and is the seventh-winningest manager successful franchise past with a 603-429 record.

Boone besides has beardown enactment successful the Yankees’ clubhouse, peculiarly from Aaron Judge and different vets.

Cousins, Clayton Catching Up

Boone said that physicals didn’t uncover immoderate caller injuries connected Tuesday, but righty reliever Jake Cousins came into campy with a forearm strain that could jeopardize his availability for Opening Day.

The 2024 breakout pitcher is simply a fewer weeks into a 3-4-week play of nary throwing, per Boone. The anticipation is that he’ll commencement throwing adjacent week oregon the pursuing week.

Clayton Beeter, meanwhile, dealt with a enarthrosis contented implicit the winter. That has enactment him a spot down successful his buildup progression, but Beeter, different right-handed alleviation option, has already begun throwing disconnected a mound.

Who’s Batting First?

When asked who his leadoff hitter volition be, Boone replied, “I don’t know.”

The question has nary wide reply astatine the moment, with Boone adding that helium could spot six oregon 7 names successful the role. Boone besides said his leadoff hitter could alteration based connected matchups.

“Hopefully, it smacks america implicit the caput and becomes precise wide astatine immoderate point,” helium said, “but I truly don’t person idiosyncratic successful caput necessarily.”

While Boone didn’t privation to sanction immoderate names, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jasson Domínguez and Anthony Volpe marque consciousness arsenic logical, if imperfect, options.