How The Yankees Can Work Around Aaron Judge's Concerning Return to Right Field

Judge insisted to the media that he 'wouldn't be out there' if he wasn't able to really let it go. Reports from the clubhouse seem to say that the Yankees' concern with Judge throwing at full speed is just a sign of precaution, but naturally, it caused some worry among fans.

With Judge back at designated hitter during Saturday's 1:05 game against Toronto, how can the Yankees handle this as September turns into October?

Keep Him At Designated Hitter

The obvious move would be to keep Judge at DH, a move that would force Giancarlo Stanton to be in the outfield every day.

The main argument against that notion is Stanton's lengthy injury history, and wealth of plays where he has not shown blistering speed on balls hit his way.

The other potential issue is that Stanton missed a good deal of time due to his dual-elbow tendinitis, and there is always the underlying possibility that the injury resurfaces when it matters most.

However, if it keeps Judge's arm healthy enough until the offseason when the team can further evaluate best steps, and keeps both strong bats in the order, this seems to be the best option.

While Stanton is not particularly fast, his arm does still appear to be live, in the small sample size of throws he's had to make. The Yankees have to decide if they'd rather Stanton, who is slow but has a live arm, or Judge, who is quicker but will need to air on the side of caution for the next few weeks.

Early / Late Game Splits

Aaron Boone's squad could also decide they want Judge to keep getting reps, but take him out of right field as the game goes on.

After all, if the Yankees put a better arm like Jasson Dominguez, Jose Caballero or Cody Bellinger in right field and they came up with a game-saving throw, no one's going to care that Judge wasn't in there.

Having Judge in right field for low-pressure innings would be a good way to reintroduce him to the position he knows best.

What's Next?

All in all, this is not a great situation. Yankees fans are used to seeing Judge gun down players, make the most of his absurd arm strength, and take control of the game.

Having Judge at all subdued is a precarious dilemma with the postseason coming up, and fans have ample reason to fear that Judge needs some kind of offseason surgery, similar to Bryce Harper after the 2022 season.

On top of that, the fans have more than enough cause to worry that the organization is not being all truthful about the extent of Judge's injury. There's a well-known reputation of secrecy and mystery with Aaron Boone's team, one example being the organizational silence toward the extent and severity of Judge's toe injury in 2023.

If the organization knows there is a good chance of reinjury, they can't take the chance of putting him back out in right field every day at the risk of losing him for the season.