Aaron Judge spent most of his career hitting second in the New York Yankees lineup. Last season, the Yankees' captain dropped to the No. 3 spot to make room for Juan Soto, who filled the spot typically reserved for the team’s best hitter.

The New York Yankees deployed right fielder Aaron Judge as their third hitter most of the time last season. Anthony Volpe in the first half, and Gleyber Torres for most of the second were the leadoff hitters,

Aaron Judge took the field for the first time Saturday and had a hard two-run single through the left side of the infield in his second at-bat.

However, Judge and the Yankees must be extremely careful. Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (elbows) will begin the season on the injured list, and utility infielder DJ LeMahieu (left calf) could join him after leaving Saturday’s game early.

The Yankees signed Boone to a two-year contract extension through the 2027 season, the team announced Thursday, ensuring that he will not enter this season as a lame-duck manager.

Aaron Judge is one of the most influential players within the New York Yankees. How influential? Simply put, team owner Hal Steinbrenner frequently consults with Aaron Judge to ass