Nearly three months later, Aaron Boone returned some light fire.
The Yankees manager did not call out Joe Kelly by name, but he did appear to send a jab the reliever’s way after Kelly was the loudest among the Dodgers to needle the Yankees over their play in the World Series.
“They won, so they had that right,�Boone said Tuesday on “BT and Sal�on WFAN. “A couple of people saying some things, it’s like: Did you see what you did this year? It wasn’t the Freddie Freemans and Shohei [Ohtanis] and Mookie [Bettses] popping off. It was some others.�/p>
In late October and early November, Kelly taunted the Yankees for the defense and baserunning that let them down in the five-game series.
On a podcast, Kelly said the Yankees “can’t make a play�and the matchup “was a mismatch from the get-go.�/p>
The veteran righty, who dealt with injury and ineffectiveness last season, was not on the Dodgers�postseason roster.
The 36-year-old is a free agent.
“They won the World Series. We didn’t play our best and they’re flying high right now,�said Boone, who acknowledged he didn’t appreciate the ribbing. “We’ll try and get back to that stage and hopefully punch through.�/p>
Outfield prospect Everson Pereira is “back�after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June, Boone said.
The prospect, who debuted for 27 games in 2023, posted an .859 OPS in 40 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season before the injury.
“I think he can play into the mix for us,�Boone said of Pereira.