Yankees’ Aaron Judge Could Be Deployed in Left Field in 2024
The New York Yankees could be deploying a slightly different alignment in the outfield during the 2024 season.
New York added a pair of outfielders to the mix this offseason with the acquisitions of left fielder Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox and right fielder Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. The deals added balance to a Yankees lineup that had been mostly right-handed, but also complicated matters defensively, given that the club has just one true center fielder, Trent Grisham, on the roster.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that he expects to play Aaron Judge, a natural right fielder, in center field a lot this season, adding that he could even play in left field, during an appearance on the Foul Territory podcast on Friday.
Boone explained that by playing Judge more in center, the Yankees will, in turn, give him more days off from the field with the designated hitter spot. But the Yankees manager added that the presence of Grisham, a two-time Gold Glover, will allow the team to shift Judge over to left and play the former in center, when they want both in the field.
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Soto, who owns a career .946 OPS, is one of the best hitters in the game, but also one of the worst defensive outfielders. Plus, Soto won’t be slotted into the designated hitter spot often, given that the Yankees like to play the injury-prone Giancarlo Stanton there.
That leaves Soto to play in right field and Judge to man center and left field, two positions he’s played the least in the majors. It’s certainly not ideal, but the potential defensive shortcomings in the outfield won’t even be mentioned if the club can hit like they’re capable.
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Yankees DFA Former Top Prospect After Claiming Infielder
The New York Yankees are looking to add some depth to their roster after making their splash move by acquiring Juan Soto in a trade with the San Diego Padres. After sending out many of their elite prospects and some Major League players, they’ll need to replenish their farm system and fill out the roster before the 2024 season starts. The Yankees made some waves when they signed former top prospect, Jeter Downs, off waivers following getting designated for assignment by the Washington Nationals after last year.
He was taken with the 32nd overall pick of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds and spent two years in their organization before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2018. Downs was traded to the Boston Red Sox before the 2020 season in a package that brought the Dodgers Mookie Betts and David Price. This is when the perception of Downs started to take off. He was ranked as the Red Sox’s No. 1 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline in 2020 and No. 2 in 2021.
But, his Major League career hasn’t gone as expected, slashing .154/.171/.256 with one home run and four RBI in 14 games before Boston designated him for assignment. With the Nationals, he only appeared in six games last season before, once again, being DFA’d. New York took a crack at the talented 25-year-old this offseason, but according to SNY, they also designated him for assignment following claiming Diego Castillo off waivers from the New York Mets. Castillo started his career with the Yankees after they signed him as an international free agent in 2014, but they traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates that returned Clay Holmes in 2021.
He made their 2022 Opening Day roster and played 96 games as a rookie, slashing .206/.251/.382 with 11 home runs and 29 RBI. In 2023, Castillo only made on appearance in the majors after he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was designated for assignment following the year and was claimed by the Mets. After the Mets’ acquisition of Sean Manaea, he was DFA’d and claimed by the Yankees.
