After preparing for the possibility in each of the last two spring trainings, Aaron Judge finally started in left field Monday for the first time in his career.
With left fielder Alex Verdugo landing on the paternity list, Judge slid over from his regular spot in center to fill in there for the Yankees’ 2-0 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards.
Judge was not tested much in his first action in left field, but caught the two fly balls hit to him.
“Thought he moved well, thought he reacted really well,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Looked like no issues.”
Trent Grisham got the start in center field while Juan Soto remained in right field.
Boone said he gave “mild consideration” to using Soto in left field — where he started 154 games last season for the Padres — but decided to keep him in right now that he has gotten settled there.
“It feels great when you got a guy [Grisham] to your left with a Gold Glove that has been playing center field at the top of the game for quite a long time,” Judge said.
When the Yankees traded for Soto, Verdugo and Grisham over the offseason, that flipped Judge from an everyday right fielder to center fielder.
But Boone also told Judge there might be times when he would use him in left field, which was fine by the captain.
“That really embodies who Aaron is,” Boone said. “Anyone that’s had the opportunity to play alongside him, whether it be for weeks or years, you realize what an amazing teammate and how unselfish a player he is. Anything that I’ve ever put on his plate, he’s been like, ‘Yep, I got you.’ … You’re lucky to have your star player, the face of your team, that’s that kind of teammate.”
With runners on the corners and two outs in the eighth inning, Anthony Volpe booted a ground ball that allowed an insurance run to score.
“Just in between everything — what hop, whether to go to second or first,” Volpe said. “Definitely got to be more decisive.”
While Verdugo was back in Arizona to welcome his second child, the Yankees called up catcher Carlos Narvaez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take his roster spot.
The Yankees were limited in their 40-man position player options — the only other healthy choice was outfielder Everson Pereira — but adding Narvaez gave them extra flexibility with three catchers until Verdugo returns.
“First of all, [Narvaez] is a really good catcher,” Boone said. “He’s special behind the plate. He’s been playing first base down there and DHing a little bit. Handles the bat well, got some power in there. So it just kind of covers us here for a couple days without Dugie. We’ve had him playing some first base just to keep that in the mix to give him some flexibility for when he does get up here.
“Excited to welcome a super-smart player and somebody that plays the game between the lines with a lot of confidence, like a veteran that’s been around a long time.”
Anthony Rizzo was named the American League Player of the Week on Monday after hitting .407 (11-for-27) with a 1.355 OPS, four home runs — including the 300th of his career on Sunday — seven RBIs, two doubles and one walk.