Former Yankees coach shares big Aaron Judge, Juan Soto concern

Former New York Yankees hitting coach Sean Casey does not want to see club captain Aaron Judge patrolling center field on a full-time basis after the Bronx Bombers acquired All-Star outfielder Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night. 

"No. No. No. No. No. I do not want Judgie as my center fielder," Casey said during the latest edition of his "The Mayor's Office" podcast, as shared by Matt Ehalt of the New York Post. "I just think center field is so demanding, dude. It’s so demanding, and he’s such a big guy, and to have to demand him to go so far in the gaps and be on the run — you have to cover more ground as a center fielder. The wear and tear on his body — I don’t like it."

The Yankees previously landed outfielder Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox ahead of Wednesday's blockbuster deal. Edward Sutelan of the Sporting News is among those predicting that Judge will begin Opening Day 2024 as New York's center fielder, and manager Aaron Boone told reporters before the Soto trade was finalized that "[Judge] in center is certainly in play." 

Casey, who served as Yankees hitting coach throughout the second half of this past season, said during the podcast he thinks Boone doesn't "like" Judge playing center field. 

Judge already had a worrisome injury history before he missed time this year due to a right hip strain and a torn ligament in his big right toe. While the toe issue arose after Judge slammed his 6-foot-7, 282-pound frame into a fence at Dodger Stadium, Casey's overall point about the Yankees needing to do everything possible to keep the 2022 American League Most Valuable Player healthy remains valid. 

The 2023 Yankees never fully recovered from Judge's absences and missed the playoffs. 

"You start asking yourself too with [Los Angeles Angels superstar center fielder Mike Trout]," Casey continued. "We talk about, he hurt himself on the bases, he hurt his calf, he hurt his hamstring, well how much is that from having to go get a ball in the gap, having to get a ball over your head, having to go up to the fence? How much is the wear and tear on your legs?" 

For a piece published Thursday morning, Matt Snyder of CBS Sports explained that nothing about Judge's injury history suggests the 31-year-old "should be avoiding center field" throughout the upcoming season. Snyder also mentioned that injuries to others coupled with scheduled defensive off-days will allow Boone to manage how much time Judge spends in center field during the grueling summer months.