Aroldis Chapman won’t be playing for the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. Manager Aaron Boone made the announcement on Sunday.
The Yankees had a mandatory practice season yesterday and Aroldis Chapman was expected to attend it. However, the pitcher preferred to stay in Miami. Boone talked to general manager Brian Cashman after Chapman skipped the pre-ALDS exercise and ejected the player from the ALDS series against the Cleveland Guardians.
Boone stated that Aroldis Chapman had no “usable excuse” for skipping the exercises, according to MLB.com. The team has also imposed an unspecified fine on the reliever.
Chapman effectively took himself out of the running for the ALDS roster, at least in this case. The Yankees’ general manager, Brian Cashman, told reporters:
“Despite the fact that everyone in our network has been working out here since Friday, he chose to stay at home. I corrected him. We obviously had a conversation. I gave him a fee for skipping a necessary date.”
The manager continued:
“we made the decision just to tell him to stay home, telling him just stand down and just stay home. You gotta be all in this time of year. It’s disappointing.”
With 43 appearances, Aroldis Chapman’s 4.46 ERA for the regular season was the highest of his career. During the season, he lost his closer position. In his previous game against the Texas Rangers, he struck out two hitters.
Aroldis Chapman has played 35 postseason games with a 2.40 ERA. In the ALDS matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020, he made his final postseason appearance.
What do you think about this episode? Did Boone do the right?
