Aaron Judge Mirrors Boone With Unconvincing Response to Alarming Blue Jays Moment

The first game of the Blue Jays-Yankees series was significant because Aaron Judge was back in right field Friday night for the first time since straining his right elbow on July 25. If you remember, the Yankees want him out there consistently down the stretch. But even they admit it’s a bit of a wait-and-see situation. And guess what, his return wasn’t exactly smooth, either.

Notably, Judge made a weak throw to Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a relay after Nathan Lukes’ two-run single in the first inning. And then he and Chisholm let a shallow pop-up from Bo Bichette drop between them in a 7-1 loss at Yankee Stadium. So, how is Aaron Judge actually feeling with his first outfield duty post-injury? Well, his answer sounded a lot like what Aaron Boone has been saying: measured, cautious, but hopeful.

“Felt great. I’m glad to be back out there. Wish the results were a little different, but you know, time to get it going.” Aaron Judge said in his post-game presser. “I wouldn’t be in the outfield if I wasn’t able to make that throw.”

So it sounds like Aaron Judge is confident about playing right field again, even though he looked a little tentative throwing during Friday’s 7-1 loss to the Blue Jays. Still, he stressed that he feels healthy enough to make his normal throws. But fans were left wondering after what they saw.

Reportedly, in the first inning, with the bases loaded, Jays’ Nathan Lukes dropped a shallow single just 218 feet from the plate. Judge fielded it cleanly on a hop but never even looked home. Instead, he flipped a soft throw, clocked at just 67.9 mph by Statcast, to Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the infield while Daulton Varsho trotted home from second without a play. That made it 3-0 Toronto right away, and the Jays never looked back in their 7-1 win.

Aaron Boone was asked about Judge’s throw. “He’s in position to make the throw,” Boone said.

Boone also admitted the plan isn’t for Judge to be in right field every day right away. Instead, he’ll likely rotate with Giancarlo Stanton, which also means fewer opportunities for rookie Jasson Dominguez. So what’s really going on here? Are the Yankees not on the same page with what Aaron Judge is thinking? Or if the Yankees rushed things up with Judge due to their challenging standings?

Aaron Judge was confident in turning the tables

If you remember, last month, Aaron Judge took offense with his skipper for not showing enough confidence in his outfield return. Reportedly, in one interview, Boone said that Aaron Judge might not return to his outfield this year, and he will continue to play as DH with Stanton in the outfield. But it took no time for Aaron Judge to counter the narrative and even ask Boone to check his play.

“He hasn’t seen me throw the past two weeks. I’m pretty confident I’ll get back to that,” Judge said to Boone that time. It shows how much Judge was confident about his readiness for the outfield job.

Hence, it can be assumed that the Yankees have not rushed things up; rather, it was Judge who made the play. But now, after his first stint in the outfield post-injury, it seems like Boone still needs to look for alternatives.

Here, we might see Stanton take the outfield more often in the remaining game. Or anyone else could take the job. It is almost certain that the Yankees will not risk their outfield by placing Judge there at this critical juncture.

So, it would be interesting to see how the Yankees take on the challenge and how they manage Aaron Judge’s confidence in playing as an outfielder.