The New York Yankees have not announced when Aaron Judge will be returning to the outfield. He is still working his way back to throwing after a flexor strain.
Manager Aaron Boone originally noted he was not sure if Judge would be back to 100% at any point this year. After some pushback from Judge, Boone went back on his original statement.
However, there is some concern with Judge. Every game he does not play in right field is more potential strain on Giancarlo Stanton, who has been helping fill in. Yankees insider Chris Kirschner was asked whether the Yankees would consider moving Judge to first base, similar to what the Philadelphia Phillies did with Bryce Harper.
“There will probably come a point in Judge’s career where he’s no longer an adequate outfielder, but that time is not now,” wrote Kirschner. “If and when that does happen, moving him to first base would become a possibility. Until then, he’ll be an outfielder.”
It seems like the Yankees have no plans to change positions for Judge right now. Instead, they will remain patient with his recovery. However, there is a world where the Yankees could move Judge to first base in the near future.
If the team lets Paul Goldschmidt walk and decides to make Ben Rice the primary catcher, Judge could take over at first base. That would also create a spot for Spencer Jones to play regularly. As Judge gets older, a move to the infield will become more likely.
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