Yankees' Cashman Says 'It Irritates the F--k Out of Me' That People Think Boone Doesn't Make Lineups

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is once again firing back at the narrative that he has dictated starting lineups to manager Aaron Boone.

"It irritates the f--k out of me, because it's so stupid, it's so false, but yet people just throw it out willy-nilly," Cashman told The Athletic's Chris Kirschner. "You can't get the prior two managers or the current manager to testify under oath that they've ever been dictated the lineup once in (my tenure)."

Earlier this month, Cashman expressed a similar sentiment to Deesha Thosar of Fox Sports, saying, "To this day, I'm definitely frustrated with the one narrative that the manager is the puppet and we're dictating his moves. None of it's true."

Boone was hired by the Yankees in 2018 to replace Joe Girardi. Despite having consistent success in the regular season, he's led the Bronx Bombers to just one World Series appearance during his tenure, as the team lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers i five games in 2024 and still hasn't won a championship since 2009.

For his part, Boone isn't sweating the claims that Cashman is influencing his decisions, telling Kirschner, "I find it laughable."

Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus added, "I will unequivocally say that Aaron Boone makes the lineup."

The Yankees have a high-powered crop of hitters built around three-time American League MVP Aaron Judge. There weren't many major additions made this offseason, though New York was able to retain prized free agent Cody Bellinger in hopes of making a deeper postseason run in 2026.

It sounds like the results of the upcoming season will rest solely on Boone's shoulders, as Cashman made a point to reiterate, "A simple truth restated: I've got nothing to do with the lineup."