Yankees still not considering moving struggling Aaron Judge down in World Series lineup
Oct 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) tags out New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) in the third inning during game one of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone was dismissive when asked about the prospect of flipping the struggling Aaron Judge for the red-hot Giancarlo Stanton during the remainder of the 2024 World Series.
“No,” Boone curtly stated multiple times without delving further into why.
Such a move seems like a logical idea. Judge has been a non-factor this postseason batting in the third spot of the Yankees’ lineup. He went 1-for-5 with a single and three strikeouts in New York’s 10-inning 6-3 Game 1 loss in the World Series on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
His most notable failure came in the ninth inning after Gleyber Torres’ fan-interference double before the Dodgers opted to intentionally walk Juan Soto to get to the man who hit 58 home runs in the regular season and is the likely American League MVP.
But Judge popped out to shortstop to end the Yankees’ threat, continuing a miserable postseason that continues to push the narrative that he lacks any semblance of a clutch gene.
In 10 playoff games this October, Judge is batting a paltry .167 with two home runs, six RBI, and 16 strikeouts in 36 at-bats. Over 244 career postseason plate appearances, he is batting .203 with a .753 OPS.
Meanwhile, the man batting behind him continues to etch his place as one of the greatest postseason Yankees ever. Stanton hit his 17th career postseason home run in 37 games during the sixth inning of Game 1 to give New York a 2-1 lead it nearly nursed over the finish line.
He has homered in four straight games and each of his last five safe hits have been home runs. His 1.034 career postseason OPS ranks third in MLB history only behind the legendary Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig (min. 150 plate appearances).
That certainly seems like the kind of bat Boone would want behind Torres and Soto, who have set the table numerous times for Judge, but he has been unable to find his seat.
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