Yankees manager Aaron Boone last week shot down the idea of Aaron Judge playing some first base for New York in 2023.
But perhaps a different position change could be in the cards.
Judge split time between center field and right field last season, and Boone this week left the door open for the reigning American League MVP to see time in left field during spring training.
“I’m open to things like that, especially in the home ballpark,” Boone recently said, per ESPN.com. “So, we’ll see. … We’ll see.
“I would say I’m at least considering it. We’ll just kind of see how that goes. No decision on that yet but it’s something on my board.”
So, how does Judge feel about potentially playing left field, a position he hasn’t manned at any point in his seven-year Major League Baseball career?
Simply put, he’d welcome the challenge.
“I did mention it to him, if we need to get (Giancarlo Stanton) in right field at Yankee Stadium, put me in left,” Judge said, per ESPN.com. “I don’t mind it. I don’t mind switching around so we can have (Harrison) Bader, me and Big G (Stanton) out there. So, we’ll get some reps in spring training and (get) comfortable out there.”
Judge played mostly center field in 2022 before the Yankees acquired Bader, a 2021 Gold Glove Award winner, in a midseason trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. He then shifted to right field, the position he’s played most in his MLB career, while left field remained a black hole for New York.
Stanton has served mostly as the designated hitter the last three seasons, the product of both his lackluster defensive skills and his injury history. And the Yankees are hopeful their primary left fielder, Aaron Hicks, will bounce back in 2023 after a shaky 2022. But Stanton still could see some time in the outfield, and he’d be best served holding down right field at Yankee Stadium while Judge, a good defender, shifts over to the more spacious left field.
“The only way you can really test things out, is throw yourself out there,” Judge said of playing left field, according to ESPN.com. “Hopefully, I’ll get a couple games out there. I don’t think I’ve played left field since probably college.”
Obviously, this isn’t as dramatic a position change as moving to first base, a scenario that arose when Judge was spotted wearing a first baseman’s glove during a recent workout. But it’s still indicative of Judge’s team-first mentality as the Yankees pursue their first World Series title since 2009.
