The New York Yankees have solved their issues with the outfield since last season. They had a lack of star power in their outfield. Albeit, they had Aaron Judge, of course, the 2022 AL MVP. However, it was not enough because the Bronx Bombers did not make the postseason last year. Moreover, they finished with an awful 82-80 record. It was one of their worst seasons in the last 30 years. Hence, the front office did everything they could do to bolster their outfield over this winter. They started looking for a couple of lefty outfielders and a starting pitcher.
Moreover, the Yankees managed to get the best hitter in the league thanks to a tricky deal with the San Diego Padres. That trade deal saw Juan Soto and Trent Grisham come to the Bronx, and several key pitchers and catchers, including Michael King and Drew Thorpe move to San Diego. Previously, the Boston Red Sox helped their arch-rivals trade Alex Verdugo even before the NY side landed Soto. Since then, the Yankees look like the most improved outfield in the league. But it made the manager’s work difficult to plan how the outfield might look.
Aaron Judge Might Take The Left Field For The First Time In MLB
Since landing Juan Soto, the Yankees look like real contenders for the upcoming season. But now Aaron Boone must figure out how to improve Soto’s productivity in the outfield. The Dominican slugger is one of the worst in the outfield. Boone might have Juan Soto take the right outfield to enhance his productivity. But Aaron Judge has been a premier right fielder since he started playing for the New York franchise in 2017. But the captain’s chamber must uproot themselves for most of the first half of the upcoming season. Currently, the NY side has abundant outfielders.
Aaron Boone says he’s talked to Aaron Judge about playing some left field and Judge is open to it
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) January 19, 2024
Judge has never played left field in his MLB career pic.twitter.com/oGSJtFj36g
Left field is coming so naturally to Aaron Judge lol pic.twitter.com/NNA4GdtH35
— Matt (@HoodieGleyber) March 24, 2023
But it is really weird that none of them is a natural center fielder. As a result, Aaron Judge might have to move to the center as well for a while. Then, in the late innings, he might shift again for Trent Grisham to take the center field. Recently, Aaron Boone talked about the outfield positions on Foul Territory. The Yankees manager also mentioned that he spoke to Aaron Judge about moving to the left field as well. It might help the team, and the captain is open to the plan. But so far, this idea seems like muddling rather than having any clarity.
Isn’t It Too Risky To Experiment With The Captain’s Outfield Position?
Last season, the Yankees suffered after Aaron Judge had that freak accident while he was in the outfield. He hurt his toe and went on to miss 36 games on the trot. The captain’s absence was a fatal blow for the Yankees last season. In the end, they missed the postseason as well.
Learning from mistakes in the last season, it is better to do as little experiment as the team can do on Judge. Since Juan Soto and Aaron Judge are the biggest names in the rotation, the NY side must do everything they can to keep them safe and healthy. Hence, the 2022 AL MVP should stay in the right field, and Juan Soto can be in the center, perhaps to change his luck.
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