New York Yankees: How to handle Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton

Imagine both Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge in the lineup for the entire season for New York Yankees, and there’s one way to do it, platoon.

The New York Yankees have the opportunity to take advantage of a long debated rule, big time, in 2018.

In 1973, the American League adopted the designated hitter rule, and it reads as follows:

"A hitter may be designated to bat for the starting pitcher and all subsequent pitchers in any game without otherwise affecting the status of the pitcher(s) in the game."

The Yankees should take advantage of that rule for the entire season. Here’s how. They employ a strict platoon in right field with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

When the Yankees acquired Stanton, an immediate issue arose. They are both right fielders, and they are both offensive machines. The Yankees, though, have a huge opportunity here. Without giving either a full day off, they can have both appear in 162 games and get the most they can.

Imagine having nearly 100 home runs in the lineup for 162 games. That’s what many are expecting between the two, and it’s possible. If one plays in right field and the other plays designated hitter, and they split between them for 81 games each, they can achieve that.

Now, you may be thinking, “What about Greg Bird and Gary Sanchez? Won’t they need to DH sometimes when they need part of the day off?” The Yankees have a monster lineup, and keeping these two in it is key.

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The offense will go as far as these two take them. Both of them need to be in the lineup everyday, period. If one of them is on the bench, it changes the lineup much more drastically than anyone else sitting does.

In addition to their offense, there’s not a whole lot different between them defensively. So, you get a good defender in right and a powerful bat in the lineup every day. It’s a perfect way to get back to the playoffs and win a World Series.