After spending most of last season in right field, Aaron Judge is expected to mostly play centerfield for the New York Yankees in 2024. Manager Aaron Boone outlined his projected outfield rotation in a January 19 interview with the “Foul Territory” show.
“I’m planning on playing [Judge] in center [field] a lot. He’s preparing for it now,” Boone said. “The one thing is, when I play him in center, I tend to use the DH with him a little more often.”
Centerfield is perceived as the most physically taxing outfield position and is traditionally manned by smaller players than Judge, who’s among MLB’s tallest players at 6 feet 7 inches tall and 282 pounds. Judge appeared in 106 games last season, with 54 games in right field, 18 in centerfield and 38 as designated hitter.
On days when Judge is at DH, Boone expects to insert offseason acquisition Trent Grisham in centerfield. Grisham won two gold gloves in center field for the San Diego Padres before he was traded to the Yankees alongside superstar Juan Soto, the expected everyday right fielder for the Yankees.
Alex Verdugo, who was acquired by the Yankees in December via trade with the Boston Red Sox, expects to slot mostly in left field with Judge also getting some reps there.
“I’ve even talked to Judgey about playing a little bit of left field on a certain day when I want to get him and Grisham in the outfield. I’ll probably have Verdugo in left field and Juan [Soto] in right,” Boone said.
Aaron Judge’s Healthiest Season Came as a Center Fielder
Judge’s 2022 MVP season, when he smashed 62 home runs and 131 RBI, happened with most of his time in center field. He played in 157 games that season with 78 appearances in center followed by 73 in right field and 25 games at DH.
Foul Territory host Erik Kratz asked Boone if he had concerns with playing Judge in center, given the added running needed for the position and the slugger’s injury history.
“I’m not concerned about it,” Boone said. “Judgey had probably his most healthy season in 2022 when he was out there in centerfield. Most of the injuries he’s gotten have been in right field. I know he’s not worried about it at all, I’m not,” added the manager.
“The one thing is with the little bit more running you have [in centerfield] it makes me more inclined to use the DH with [Judge] probably a little more periodically. So whether that’s once a week, twice a week—it depends how healthy we are at different points of the season.”
Judge missed 42 games last season due to a toe injury he sustained after he collided with the fence at Dodger Stadium while making a stellar catch in right field.
The Captain does it all.
Aaron Boone Expects Outfield Depth to Be Yankees’ Strength in 2024
The Yankees outfield rotation will mostly feature Judge, Soto, Verdugo, and Grisham—but Boone expects to get Giancarlo Stanton some outfield reps as well. Stanton, 34, profiles as the team’s primary DH and is hoping for a bounce-back season after hitting just .191 with 24 homers in 101 games last season.
“I really feel like Giancarlo [Stanton] will be able to give us an occasional look in the outfield as well, he’s preparing for that. I love our depth, I do feel we’re in a better position to absorb an injury that may come up or whatever,” Boone said.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman has applauded changes Stanton made this offseason to his diet and conditioning. Stanton has “always been one of the most feared hitters in the game [and] he’s looking forward to getting back to that,” Cashman said per a January 18 report from MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
Boone also mentioned utility man Oswaldo Cabrera and top prospect Jasson Dominguez as outfield depth options for the Yankees. Dominguez impressed as a 20-year-old in his big-league debut last season, hitting .258 with four homers in 31 games. But he’s now rehabbing from Tommy John surgery on his elbow that’s expected to sideline him until the summer.
“Then obviously we get Jasson Dominguez in the mix at some point in the summer. Oswaldo Cabrera is another guy that’s gained a lot of outfield experience so I do feel we have a lot of depth right now that hopefully serves us well over the course of 162,” Boone said on Foul Territory.
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Yankees Manager Aaron Boone Shares Outfield Plan for Aaron Judge