Shortly after the slumping Yankees were swept by the Reds on Thursday, Aaron Judge was asked what’s been different about the Bombers lately compared to when they were one of baseball’s best teams earlier in the season.
“Offensively, just us trying to score first,” Judge said after the Yanks suffered their 14th loss in their last 19 games. “There’s a lot of weight on our pitchers’ shoulders right now to be perfect, and offensively, we gotta try to put some pressure on them and get some guys on base, maybe run a little bit, drive some guys in when they’re on base and try to get the score in our favor early on. And then that way, we can kinda have leverage throughout the game.”
It’s interesting that Judge wants the Yankees to run more, as they’ve played a bunch of quick teams during their skid. That includes the Reds, who lead the majors in stolen bases, and the Red Sox, who are in the Bronx this weekend and embarrassed the Yankees on the bases in Boston last month.
The question is who Judge wants running, as the Yankees don’t have many fast players. They rank 29th in the majors with 37 stolen bases.
Anthony Volpe led the team with 15 steals prior to Friday, but the struggling shortstop had not swiped a bag since taking two on June 14. Volpe also got removed from the leadoff spot on Thursday, so he’s not currently in a position to wreak havoc with his wheels right out of the gate, which is Judge’s ultimate goal.
Judge was second on the team with five steals, while three players were tied with four. One of them, Jon Berti, is a speedster – he led the league with 41 steals in 2022 – but he’s still weeks away from returning from a calf injury and is a role player.
“The running game’s something that’s actually been a part of our game really the last couple of years, even when we don’t necessarily have the personnel where we’re going to run wild on the bases,” Aaron Boone said Friday. “It’s a little challenging when you’re down [in the score]. Through this few-week stretch, we’ve been down a lot, two, three, four runs. Not real conducive for a team like us to just start running certain guys. So yeah, we’re gonna look for spots, but I also don’t want to run into outs.”
To Boone’s last point, the Yankees don’t want to be running for the sake of running with Juan Soto and Judge at the plate. While Judge wants to apply instant pressure, it makes more sense for the Yankees to run with the latter parts of the order up.
If the Yankees are going to do that, they’ll likely need outside help. Luis Rengifo (22 steals) has been a popular name on the trade block, as the Angel can also help at third base. But he just went on the 10-day injured list with right wrist inflammation.
Miami’s Jazz Chisholm (15 steals) is another runner on an obvious seller. While he’s most experienced in center field and at second base – those are not the Yankees’ greatest needs – the team could easily work him into the lineup if acquired.
Judge Will DH A Lot
With Judge DH’ing for the second straight day on Friday and for the fifth time in the last six games, Boone said to expect more of it with Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) on the injured list.
“He’ll probably DH a lot with G down,” the manager said. “We can take advantage, lighten the load on him a little bit in the middle of the season.”
Boone said that Judge has held up well as the Yankees’ everyday center fielder — his MVP-caliber offensive numbers would agree – but the club can use Trent Grisham, an elite defender, more with Stanton out.
Boone said that he’s talked to Judge about DH’ing more, and they’ll discuss the skipper’s plans before each series.
“Whatever gives us the best lineup, to be honest,” Judge said of DH’ing. “Getting a Gold Glover in centerfield? We gotta do that. So I’m all good with that.”
Boone added that Soto will also DH “here and there,” though the right fielder doesn’t enjoy the role.
Another Step for Brubaker
JT Brubaker, working his way back from Tommy John surgery, had his rehab assignment transferred from Double-A to Triple-A on Friday. He was scheduled to start for the RailRiders.
A starter by trade, the Yankees could use the former Pirate in a variety of ways once his assignment ends. He has minor-league options, so the Yankees won’t have to promote him right away.
