Red Sox Pitcher Aroldis Chapman Makes New Statement on Yankees at All-Star Game

July 15, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman addressed the Yankees during MLB All-Star Game festivities, offering fresh comments about his former team. Getty

Aroldis Chapman quietly dropped his demand for a Yankees apology, telling reporters at Tuesday’s All-Star Game that he’s moved past the four-year-old grudge.

The reversal comes barely a month after Chapman’s original ultimatum went viral, and just as his name resurfaces in Yankees bullpen speculation ahead of the August 3 trade deadline. New York has an obvious need at closer, and Chapman, even at 38, remains capable of championship-level work.

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“I turned the page a long time ago. They asked me a question and I answered,” Chapman told the New York Post at the All-Star Game. The Boston Red Sox closer, who felt the Yankees had painted him as the villain for missing a 2022 workout and leaving him off their playoff roster, reversed course on the demand entirely.

Speaking last month in St. Petersburg, Chapman told ESPN Deportes reporter Enrique Rojas that if the Red Sox ever traded him to New York, general manager Brian Cashman would need to make amends first.

Chapman’s Yankees Apology Demand Explained

“What happened, happened,” Chapman said. “If something like this were to happen, I believe someone from this organization should apologize first.” Asked directly whether Cashman was that someone, Chapman answered, “Yes,” according to ESPN.

The grievance traces back to a miserable final Yankees season. Chapman posted a 4.46 ERA in 2022, lost the closer’s job to Clay Holmes and missed nearly a month with a leg infection tied to a tattoo.

Ahead of that October’s American League Division Series, he skipped a mandatory workout at Yankee Stadium, claiming he had permission to be in Miami. The Yankees disagreed, calling Chapman’s absence insubordination. The Yankees subsequently left Chapman off their postseason roster entirely. New York beat Cleveland in five games that October before getting swept by Houston in the ALCS. Chapman never pitched for the Yankees again.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone addressed the apology demand directly a day after it surfaced.

“At the end of the day, he wasn’t at the workout,” Boone said, as quoted by MLB.com. “I made the decision, based on a lot of things and thought, to leave him off because I thought that was the right thing to do for our club at the time.”

Boone added that he still considers the matter “water under the bridge” personally, even without an apology changing hands.

Aroldis Chapman With the Yankees and Beyond

Chapman’s history in the Bronx was mostly dominant before the unpleasant exit. The Cuban-born left-hander first arrived via a 2016 trade, was flipped to the Chicago Cubs that July and helped Chicago win the World Series, then returned to New York on a then-record five-year, $86 million deal. Across seven Yankees seasons, Chapman logged 153 saves and 453 strikeouts with a 2.94 ERA, earning three All-Star selections.

He signed with Kansas City that offseason, won a second championship with Texas in 2023, then pitched for Pittsburgh before joining Boston in 2025.

Now 38, Chapman has become one of the best relievers in baseball again, posting a 2.08 ERA with 14 saves this season, earning an All-Star selection. His career totals sit at 381 saves and 1,360 strikeouts across 17 seasons, with eight All-Star nods and two World Series rings. He’s playing on a one-year, $13.3 million deal with a 2027 option that vests if he throws 40 innings and passes a postseason physical.

Whether that future unfolds in Boston, back in pinstripes or elsewhere, Chapman has made clear the apology fight is no longer a priority for him.