Former Yankees manager Joe Girardi surprised members of the media on Thursday when he laid out a new operating procedure when it comes to disclosing injuries to his Phillies players.
“I've talked to people in our organization,” Girardi said, via Matt Gelb of The Athletic. “Just a manager's decision. And I'm not going to share anything — who's available, who's not available — because I think it's somewhat unfair to us. Just like if you were to do something, you're not going to necessarily share it with a rival reporter. So, that's the way we're going to handle it. Just a manager's decision.”
The revelation from Girardi comes after the manager told reporters that star outfielder Bryce Harper was getting rest days prior to being placed on the IL with a wrist injury. Girardi said disclosing the information to reporters would have put his team at a “distinct disadvantage” from a competitive standpoint.
Aaron Boone, who replaced Girardi as the Yankee manager in 2018, was asked about Girardi’s decision and how the Yankees handle the balance of transparency and competitive advantage while on his weekly segment with Carton & Roberts.
“I certainly try to always be truthful,” Boone said. “There are clear situations where you’re not gonna reveal something, maybe about a player. There may be times when I don’t have a player in the lineup that I’m completely staying away from, and I don’t want that necessarily known. Or a pitcher.”
Boone detailed a situation like Thursday, when Aroldis Chapman wasn’t available out of the bullpen in a save situation due to illness. Boone disclosed that after the game when asked about his presence, but wouldn’t disclose that unprompted before a game, allowing the opponent to know his best bullpen weapon is unavailable.
When asked about Chapman’s status on Friday, Boone said he was available.
“You’ve gotta be able to distinguish what’s holding something back or what’s putting you at a competitive disadvantage,” Boone said. “You have to be able to strike that balance.”
The Yanks have had to disclose a load of injuries this season, but when it comes to declaring who on the active roster is available off the bench or not, that’s not always fully revealed. But it is a conversation within the organization when it comes to how much is relayed to the media.
“Any time there’s that kind of discrepancy or question, We talk about it a little behind the scenes about ‘what’s the right thing to do here?’” Boone said.
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