New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge is ready to do whatever it takes to win a championship in the pinstripe uniform.
Everything, including evolving to the first cushion.
Indeed, Judge trained at first base during the off-season and has not ruled out playing there during the next campaign if he is needed, according to what Brendan Kuty reports from The Athletic.
Judge has already trained at first base and played the position during his first season at Fresno State, so it's not totally foreign to him.
The 31-year-old said he enjoys revisiting the position and learning some of the nuances he hasn't needed to consider since he last played it in college.
For example, Judge said he enjoys learning how to move at the right angle toward the rollers. Plus, it sometimes got a little monotonous for him to be the only outfielder catching balls in the outfield, hence the change in routine.
That said, it appears this will only happen in an emergency for the Bombers, perhaps for a few innings.
Anthony Rizzo, who missed the final two months of last season due to post-concussion symptoms, is healthy and expected to be the team's starting first baseman. But Rizzo's primary backup, DJ LeMahieu, is expected to be New York's starting third baseman.
So perhaps this could speed up the Judge's first appearance at position number three. And even if the main interested party affirms that this has nothing to do with a possible contract extension for Juan Soto, this defensive flexibility could nevertheless prove to be a very good asset.
