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When Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees set a single-season MLB record in 2022 with 62 home runs, fans expected the 6-foot-7 outfielder to follow suit in 2023.
In addition to signing a nine-year contract worth $360 million, Judge was also named the Yankees captain. He took the field in 2023 as the first Yankees captain since Derek Jeter.
Judge homered in his first at-bat of the season against the San Francisco Giants, and followed with his second just two days later. As such, Judge looked well on pace to become the fourth player in MLB history to follow up a 60+ home run season with a 50+ one.
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Ahead of the Yankees' April 4 match against the Philadelphia Phillies, manager Aaron Boone announced that he would be slotting Judge in as a DH. The decision comes on the heels of three consecutive appearances in the outfield for Judge.
"Aaron Boone tells us Aaron Judge will DH tonight. He says it’s NOT because Judge fouled a ball off himself last night. He’s perfectly healthy" - Talkin' Yanks
Although there is no indication that Judge is injured, fans are still spooked. Judge fouled a ball off his foot in the 8-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on April 3.
In addition to hitting 62 home runs last season, Judge also led the league in RBIs with 131. His slashline of .311/.425/.686 was enough for the big man to earn his first career MVP award.
It is likely that Aaron Judge's temporary relocation to the DH spot will allow manager Boone to experiment further in the outfield. Fan favorite Harrison Bader, who was expected to be the team's starting center fielder, is out with an injury.
To replace him, Boone has been using young talent, leading to veteran Aaron Hicks complaining about his playing time.
The Yankees and Phillies will begin their game at 7:05 pm local time at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
Aaron Judge has a chance to make history again this season
Although Aaron Judge is a talented fielder, his true value lies in his bat. While fans in the outfield will be disappointed not to get a close look at Aaron Judge on the field, the star's ability to fill-in at the DH spot does not mean that his offensive capabilities are mitigated.
