Juan Soto
Juan Soto Source: NBC Sports

Aaron Judge was a lone superstar for the New York Yankees for a long time. Last season, the NY side suffered the consequences of having just one superstar in the lineup. Albeit, Gerrit Cole is a star pitcher, the 2022 AL MVP is one of the biggest stars in baseball. He broke the American League’s home run record in 2022. Even last season could have been great for the Bronx Bomber’s captain if it had not been for the freak accident that hurt his toe bad. Moreover, Aaron Judge went on to miss 36 games on the trot.

In the process, the Yankees lost momentum, which led to a disaster. They could not make the postseason. Moreover, they finished with an awful 82-80 record. Hence, the front office realized it was a wake-up call, and making significant changes was necessary. As a result, the Yankees signed Juan Soto, Trent Grisham, and Alex Verdugo to bolster their outfield. But they also had to sacrifice a lot of their pitchers. That’s why they are still in the market looking for starting pitchers. But the Yankees manager is trying to figure out the best possible lineup with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. 

   

Aaron Boone Is Chalking A Plan To Best Deploy Juan Soto And Aaron Judge Atop The Lineup

Aaron Judge Yankees
Aaron Judge Yankees Source: CNN

Despite the front office still looking for a few more additions this offseason, the Yankees do have the best lefty-righty hitting combination in the American League. Clearly, any team’s pitching department would be wary before facing a lineup with Judge and Soto coming right after each other. But that’s what Aaron Boone keeps thinking about. How does the lineup would look like with the two of them? On Friday, Boone mentioned in an interview with the YouTube show Foul Territory that Soto and Judge would hit back-to-back, but the order is still “Up in the air.”

Moreover, the Yankees manager added that as of the moment he had been thinking Juan Soto in the second and Aaron Judge in the three-hole. But they will see just how “The leadoff spot shakes out.” If Judge bats ahead of Soto or vice versa, it will depend on who’ll be hitting on that leadoff spot, who’s in the four-hole and beyond. Moreover, Aaron Boone feels DJ LeMahieu is looking good to take that leadoff spot. DJ finished the 2023 season on a positive note and is already at the Tampa facility, “Getting Rolling.” 

Who Are The Other Guys Boone Thinks Can Take The Top Spot?

Gleyber Torres Yankees
Gleyber Torres Yankees Source: MLB.com

Aaron Boone mentioned Alex Verdugo can surely take the top spot in the lineup. Then, there is Gleyber Torres, who also is a pretty good option. Moreover, the Yankees manager said that it feels like they have pretty good options. Hence, they will just see how everything shakes out with the spring training, and then there can be injury issues when the 2024 season starts.

Moreover, Aaron Boone said they hope to benefit a lot when Jasson Dominguez returns to their lineup “At some point in the summer.” Then, Giancarlo Stanton had a great winter, feels the manager. Hence, Boone wonders, “How’s Big G doing?” Moreover, they have several options for their lineup. 

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