After back-to-back days in right field, Aaron Judge returned to designated hitter duty for Wednesday night’s series finale in Minnesota.
But that wasn’t because Yankees manager Aaron Boone had any concerns about using Judge, who is nursing a flexor strain in his right elbow, in the outfield for a third consecutive day.
“He’s feeling good,” Boone said Wednesday during an appearance on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio. “He feels like he’s ready to take it on a little bit more.”
Judge would have played right field on Wednesday had Boone not decided to give Giancarlo Stanton a day off, which opened up the DH role, the manager said. Cody Bellinger got the start in right.
Monday and Tuesday’s games marked the first time Judge had played the outfield on back-to-back days since he landed on the injured list in late July.
Upon returning, Judge went a month without playing defense, but he’s made six starts in the outfield since Sept. 5.
Stanton, the Yankees’ primary DH, has made 20 appearances in the field, all since Judge’s injury.
Boone said he expects Judge to return to the outfield on Friday and Saturday in Baltimore, with the Orioles planning to start left-handers Cade Povich and Trevor Rogers those days. That would allow the righty-swinging Stanton to DH both days.
“It’ll probably be Judge in the outfield, probably back-to-back, but again, that second day, I’ll circle up with him and Giancarlo and see where they’re at and see what makes the most sense,” Boone said. “It’s kind of a fluid, day-to-day [situation], but Judgey has been, I feel like, slowly improving all the time.”
Judge, 33, is a standout defender, though he’s appeared more measured with his throws as he plays through the injury.
Offensively, Judge entered Wednesday leading the majors in batting average (.326), on-base percentage (.451), slugging percentage (.676) and OPS (1.127), while his 48 home runs and 103 RBI also ranked among MLB’s best.
Judge is considered the favorite for American League MVP, with Seattle’s Cal Raleigh also in the mix. Raleigh began Wednesday with an MLB-leading 56 home runs, though his .951 OPS was significantly lower than Judge’s.
“I’m not being cute or smart: Honestly, I feel like [Judge has] been grinding all year,” Boone said. “He hasn’t had that, like, ‘Man, I’m locked in,’ for an extended period all year. I feel like he’s been constantly making little adjustments.”
Boone continued, “And then I look up at the board the other day and they’ve got leaders [listed]. He’s got an 1.120 OPS or something, and the next guy is like .935. I’m like, ‘It’s stunning.’ The way I say it is [that] he’s playing in another league.”
TRADE COMPLETE
The Yankees on Wednesday parted with the final piece in the trade that brought back José Caballero, sending minor-league outfielder Marshall Toole to the Tampa Bay Rays as the player to be named later.
Toole, 22, hit .305 with five home runs and 44 stolen bases in 96 games with Single-A Tampa this season. The Yankees selected him in the 15th round of the 2024 draft.
The Yankees had already sent outfield prospect Everson Pereira to the Rays as part of the July 31 deal.
Caballero, a versatile bench piece, entered Wednesday with an MLB-high 47 stolen bases, including 13 in 33 games with the Yankees. He was hitting .270 with an .848 OPS since the trade.
The 29-year-old Caballero has seen more time at shortstop of late, particularly after Anthony Volpe received a cortisone shot last week for a partial labrum tear in his left shoulder.
After coming off of the bench on Tuesday, Caballero got the start at shortstop on Wednesday, with Volpe out of the lineup.
<