New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he's feeling better after getting a pacemaker and said he hopes to return to the team Saturday or Sunday.
Boone said he would have been back with the Yankees on Friday if not for novel coronavirus protocols.
“I think I'm ready to be back in the dugout,” he said during a news conference Friday.
New York Yankees' Manager Aaron Boone, left, stands with Aaron Judge, center, and DJ LeMahieu as they are announced before a spring baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP PhotoFrank Franklin II)
He had the pacemaker inserted Wednesday and was discharged from St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday.
Boone said he felt light-headed at times during the offseason and reached out to his cardiologist for testing. He said monitoring determined he had a low heart rate.
“Energy level, not myself. I felt like I had to reach for it every day in a way,” he said of his feelings before the procedure.
In this Feb. 24, 2021, photo, Carlos Mendoza of the New York Yankees poses for a photo in Florida. Yankees manager Aaron Boone took a leave of absence from the team to get a pacemaker and intends to return to work in a few days. Bench coach Mendoza took over as acting manager for Wednesday night's exhibition against Toronto in Tampa, Fla. The 41-year-old was a minor leaguer mostly with San Francisco and the Yankees from 1997-09 and is starting his 13th season working for the Yankees. (Mike CarlsonMLB Photos via AP, File)
Boone said he has noticed marked improvement.
“You have your morning coffee, today's morning coffee really worked," he said. “Me and my new buddy are doing quote well.”
Boone is entering his fourth season as Yankees manager. He had open heart surgery in 2009.
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