Alex Cora Sends ‘Thoughts And Prayers’ To Aaron Boone Amid Heart Scare

Some things are bigger than baseball.

Aaron Boone is taking a medical leave of absence while he receives a pacemaker to deal with an ongoing heart issue, according to a statement from the New York Yankees. Doctors recently found indications of a low heart rate, leading to Wednesday’s surgery.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora offered well wishes to his American League East rival after hearing the news.

“My thoughts and prayers for everything that is going to go on,” Cora told reporters Wednesday afternoon, via The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham. “He’s one of my best friends in baseball, we were teammates at ESPN. I know he’s going to be fine and we’re going to get back to competing again. Looking forward to seeing him in New York.”

Over the last six to eight weeks, Boone experienced “mild symptoms of lightheadedness, low energy and shortness of breath,” per the statement. After undergoing a series of tests, doctors determined a pacemaker was necessary to address the issue.

Boone had open-heart surgery in 2009. He is entering his fourth season as the Yankees manager.

Bench coach Carlos Mendoza likely will assume managerial duties in the interim, though Boone is looking forward to “getting back to work in the next several days.”

Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery.