The New York Yankees are trying something different in the outfield against the Rays by moving Aaron Judge to a new position.
The Yankees need something to get them out of their recent slump. Maybe a change for Aaron Judge is the answer.
When New York finishes their series against Tampa Bay on Wednesday, Judge will play in center field.
The Yankees will keep Clint Frazier in right field and Miguel Andujar in left while dropping Brett Gardner.
Ace Gerrit Cole was pumped to hear about the experiment.
“I actually have seen him play there in college,” Cole said, per SNY Yankees. “I’m probably just as excited as you to see what transpires. He’s obviously about as talented as it comes on the baseball field. So there’s no job or no task that’s too big for Aaron. I probably assume he’ll come out of this with the Superman cape he tends to wear every time he plays.”
Judge last played center field in March of 2018.
The Yankees needed to stack the lineup with Aaron Judge in center field
The move was necessitated by a wrist injury to Aaron Hicks, who will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery. New York has tried to cope with Gardner filling in, but the 37-year-old hasn’t brought much to the lineup by batting .186/.274/.237.
Simply put, the Yankees’ lack of offense has played a huge role in their recent 2-6 record. With Judge in center, manager Aaron Boone can lean on encouraging performances from Frazier and Andujar while keeping Giancarlo Stanton at DH.
New York enjoyed a walk-off victory over the Rays on Tuesday thanks to home runs from Andujar and Frazier.
The major concern for Yankees fans is just keeping Judge healthy. Having the 6-foot-7 defender in center field is fun and all, but the rain will just fall heavier on the team during this difficult period if he pulls a muscle or picks up an injury.