Aaron Judge is injured, which is the last thing anyone in the New York Yankees organization wants to hear, but fans have the most reason to worry since he was leading the team in home runs. Still, they have the roster depth to fill the void, and the depth chart points to Cody Bellinger as the next best option available.
The flexibility within the Yankees organization is immense. While Judge is sidelined, they can lean on players like Bellinger to provide the necessary firepower to keep their 37-25 AL East record afloat while the captain takes the time he needs to fully heal.
Another name on the Bombers depth chart who could step into Judge’s spot in the lineup is Amed Rosario. He is the only healthy option behind Bellinger ready to slide into the outfield if necessary, though it is highly likely the team looks at other combinations.
NY Yankees right field in trouble
With Judge down, right field becomes a glaring issue and a difficult spot to patch up. Bellinger is currently batting .273 with 8 home runs and 40 RBIs on the year, but the organization is hesitant to move him away from left field, where he has logged most of his innings this season.
The real problem in right field is that Judge isn’t the only casualty. The next two depth options who could cover the position, Jasson Dominguez and Giancarlo Stanton, are also buried on the injured list and completely out of the mix for now.
In their most recent matchup against the Cleveland Guardians, the Yankees started Trent Grisham in center field while Max Schuemann covered right. That looks like the blueprint for the coming weeks while Judge works his way back.
