Yankees still adjusting to their new Aaron Judge right field situation after weak throw
The Yankees are still trying to figure out how to best use Aaron Judge in right field.
And the short, soft throw Judge made to Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a two-run single in the first inning in his return to right Friday is something the Yankees may have to get accustomed to — at least for the time being.
Asked prior to Saturday’s 3-1 win over the Blue Jays if that throw was what the Yankees should expect from Judge in the early going, Aaron Boone said, “Right now [it is]. We worked [on it] the last couple of weeks. If you guys were paying attention, we worked on different creative cuts and stuff like that. We’ll continue to do that and hopefully evolve it as we go.”
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) catches a fly out by Toronto Blue Jays second base Andrés Giménez (0) during the fourth inning on September 5, 2025 at Yankee Stadium.
If that’s the case, Chisholm will likely be expected to go deeper into right field on balls hit to Judge with runners on base.
And that play was part of an unsteady return to the position in the loss to Toronto after Judge hadn’t played the field since suffering a right elbow flexor strain July 25.
Judge was at DH on Saturday (1-for4, strikeout), which was by design, according to Boone.
“That was kind of the plan,’’ Boone said of Judge at DH and Giancarlo Stanton out of the lineup after he was the DH on Friday. “Then we’ll see what [Sunday] brings. Having [Stanton] down today, both could be an option at DH and the other in right field [Sunday]. We’ll get through today and see.”
Aaron Judge was back in right field on Friday night.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) plays right field during the first inning when the New York Yankees played the Toronto Blue Jays on September 5, 2025.
But the Yankees still intend to use Judge in right on a fairly regular basis, even after Toronto manager John Schneider acknowledged the obvious following Friday’s game when he said the Blue Jays “wanted to test” Judge’s arm when they sent Daulton Varsho home and he scored from second on Nathan Lukes’ two-out single to right.
Boone said that approach would “not necessarily” impact how they use Judge on defense.
“It’s gonna be based on how he’s doing, and hopefully, as we go, he has continued improvements,” Boone said. “We’re playing the long game on it. The reality is, when he’s out there, he brings a lot of value.”
But Judge is clearly not at full strength and the Yankees can’t predict when that might change.
“We’ll see as we go,” Boone said. “We’ll be smart along the way.”
Golden Knights Superstars Ready for Challenge
The Vegas Golden Knights made a huge move this offseason, acquiring superstar winger Mitch Marner. The always bold Golden Knights brought in another elite player in their perennial pursuit of the Stanley Cup. Marner now joins top center Jack Eichel as the new potent pairing in Vegas.
The challenge facing the Golden Knights’ superstars is a simple, yet daunting one. Establishing chemistry between Eichel and Marner is the first and most important task for the duo and their head coach, Bruce Cassidy. Each player is coming off career-high offensive campaigns and are in the prime of their careers, so it should be easy, right? Eichel believes it will great once they get things started.
"Yeah, it’ll be great,” he said. ”He’s a guy who can create so much by himself, and he can create so much from nothing, and there’s only so many guys in the world that can do that. That’s a really special talent that I think he has. He makes the players around him better. I think we’ve seen that since he’s come into the League, so he’s going to do the same in Vegas."
Marner’s Ready to Work
Marner shared a similar level of excitement about playing alongside Eichel. At Marner’s introductory press conference with the organization, he discussed how he’s looking forward to starting with Eichel and finding that chemistry as quickly as possible.
“(Eichel is) obviously an exceptional player, a guy that really moves well up and down the ice, both ends of the ice very responsible,” Marner said. “At the same time, he’s got a deadly shot with his vision and playmaking style as well. I’m very excited to start working with him and try to figure out the chemistry quickly and get that rolling.”
Coaching Challenge
While the Golden Knights dynamic duo are saying all of the right things, the ultimate decision on who plays where comes down to the head coach. Bruce Cassidy is one of the top bench bosses in the NHL, and his latest task is to figure out the best lineup combination. The challenge with Marner and Eichel is that both players thrive with the puck on their stick, presenting an obvious potential issue that could emerge.
The veteran head coach has an approach to deal with this. His goal is to establish pairs of players that fit well together, then build out the rest of the forward unit. If that leads to Eichel and Marner sticking together on the top line, then so be it.
“I think it’s pairs first, and then the threesome,” Cassidy explained. “That’s how I’ll look at it.”
It’s an interesting and important test facing the Golden Knights when training camp opens. Their top two forwards will be expected to play together at least partially, and it’s a challenge the superstars are eager to meet.
