Yankees Rumors: Aaron Judge To Start Season In the Minors

New York Yankees Rumors: Outfielder Aaron Judge could begin the regular season in the minor leagues to get him more playing time.

Recent New York Yankees rumors have revolved around the roster for the regular season. With Didi Gregorius injured there has been a debate about who should take over at shortstop. Many people are clamoring for super prospect Gleyber Torres to take over, but it looks like the Yankees will go with Pete Kozma and Ronald Torreyes as Gregorius replacement, with Torres heading to the minor leagues.

Torres is not the only top Yankees prospect that could begin the season in the minor leagues. He could also be joined by outfielder Aaron Judge.

Judge is in a competition with Aaron Hicks for the starting right fielder job. The Yankees front office and analytics-driven people love Hicks; he brings a lot of athleticism and skill to the field, but has not been able to put it all together yet. He is also considered the better defender of the two.

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Judge brings a ton of raw power to the table. Standing 6-feet-7 inches tall and weighing 282 pounds, Judge is a monster of a man. But, the Yankees want him to receive consistent playing time. He may not be able to find that at the major league level, which is why he could begin the season in the minor leagues.

"“He needs to play, that’s the bottom line,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Wednesday about Judge. “When you look at Aaron Judge, you don’t want him to sit (on the bench).”"

Judge struggled mightily with the Yankees last season when he was called up. He struggled with strikeouts, getting struck out 42 times in 84 at-bats. He hit four home runs but slashed only .179/.263/.345. Hicks wasn’t much better but has the backing of many in the front office.

The Yankees were using the spring to see who would take over the spot. Both players have played very well, so the Yankees haven’t been able to figure out much of anything. At this point, it is likely Hicks gets the starting nod, which would mean Judge heading back to the minors.

But, it is not something Judge is worried about; he just wants to play whether it be in the minor leagues or the major leagues.

"“Can’t worry about that,” Judge said. “If I go to Double-A, High-A, it doesn’t matter. I’ll go out there, play baseball and have fun, and every thing will work out the way it’s supposed to.”"

Next: Yankees Shaking Up Lineup To Start Season

Judge will eventually have his time with the Yankees; he is one of their top prospects they have been waiting to break through. While it may not happen right away on Opening Day, Judge will be with the major league team at some point hitting mammoth home runs in Yankee Stadium.

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