Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in an interview Friday with Foul Territory that Judge will "probably" bat third this season.

EDGE Analysis

Boone didn't commit to anything, but for the time being he's leaning toward putting Juan Soto in the two spot and Judge at three. Judge batted second for all but two of his starts last season, but an addition of a hitter the caliber of Soto requires some adjustments.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday that Judge's toe injury is "a resolved issue," Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge tore a ligament in his right big toe when he crashed through a wall June 4 at Dodger Stadium and spent about two months on the injured list, but it has healed on its own without surgery, and he should be 100 percent steering into the 2024 campaign. The 31-year-old slugger projects to serve as the Opening Day center fielder for New York, with recent trade acquisitions Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo flanking him in the corners. Trent Grisham will be an active fourth outfielder.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Judge being the team's everyday center fielder in 2024 is "in play," Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge is still slated for right field duty as things currently stand, but the Yanks appear nearing a trade for Juan Soto, and Soto's addition would necessitate the move. While Judge has played plenty of center field over the last three seasons, he started just 16 games there in 2023 and missed a significant chunk of time with a toe injury. It certainly would not be the ideal defensive alignment, but the Yankees appear willing to deal with it in order to add Soto's bat.

Judge is not in Sunday's lineup against the Royals.

EDGE Analysis

Judge hit .284 with eight home runs, 19 runs and 19 RBI in 26 games in September. He will head to the bench along with Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton in the season finale.

Judge went 2-for-3 with two homers, four RBI and a third run scored in Wednesday's win over the Blue Jays.

EDGE Analysis

After Judge sat out of Tuesday's contest, he returned to the lineup with a bang Wednesday, driving in four of the Yankees' six runs with a pair of two-run homers. The 31-year-old outfielder now has five home runs in his last four games after hitting just one in his prior 17 contests. Judge is up to 37 homers on the season, tied for eighth-most in the league, despite spending nearly two months on the IL. He's batting .269 with a 1.029 OPS, 77 runs scored and 75 RBI across 445 plate appearances.

Judge is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays.

EDGE Analysis

The reigning AL MVP will head to the bench after a run of 22 straight starts, though his absence from the lineup isn't a surprise given manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Judge's spot in the lineup will be determined each day as he continues to play through a toe injury. There's no reason for the Yankees to push the 31-year-old during the final week of the season with the playoffs already out of the picture, though it's unclear at this point if the club is considering shutting Judge down entirely.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that he will have discussions with Judge each day this week about the slugger's playing time the rest of the way, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Boone indicated Sunday that there were no plans to shut Judge down for the rest of the season, but he seemed less definitive about the possibility when asked again a day later. Judge is making a 22nd consecutive start Monday and has received just three days off since returning from a toe injury in late August. The toe isn't 100 percent healed, though, and with the Yankees officially eliminated from playoff contention it's possible the team and Judge will eventually decide it's best for him to be shut down. Judge isn't expected to require surgery on the toe.

Judge went 4-for-4 with a double, three home runs and six RBI in Friday's 7-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

EDGE Analysis

He took rookie Brandon Pfaadt deep in the third and fifth innings before launching a Slade Cecconi fastball over the right-field fence in the seventh. It's the second time in 2023 that Judge has gone yard three times in a game, and he's the first Yankee in franchise history to produce multiple three-homer games in a season. Despite missing about a third of the year due to injuries, the 2022 AL MVP has slugged 35 homers with 70 RBI in only 100 contests this season.

Judge went 1-for-2 with a grand slam and three walks in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader split with Boston.

EDGE Analysis

Judge went 0-for-4 in the matinee but struck quickly in the nightcap, following a first-inning walk with a grand slam in the second. The Red Sox mostly avoided him thereafter, walking the slugger in two of his final three plate appearances, including once intentionally. Prior to the grand slam, Judge had been mired in a slump that saw him go 5-for-34 without a homer or RBI over his previous 10 games.

Judge went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk in Saturday's 5-4 victory versus Houston.

EDGE Analysis

Judge belted his 31st homer of the campaign in the third inning with a 428-foot solo shot off Hunter Brown. The slugger has opened September with a long ball in two straight contests, reaching base four times in nine plate appearances during that span. However, strikeouts continue to be an issue -- Judge fanned three times Saturday and has registered a 40.3 percent strikeout rate over his past 16 contests.