Yankees hint Juan Soto-Aaron Judge lineup swap after Orioles series loss

The New York Yankees are coming off a challenging early-season series against the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees lost three of four games to Baltimore after some rough offensive stretches. As a result, the team is hinting towards a Juan Soto-Aaron Judge lineup swap for the near future.

When YES Network asked New York manager Aaron Boone if he would consider flipping Soto and Judge in the lineup, he responded, “We’ll see,” per Chris Kirschner.

The duo struggled to get things going the entire series. However, Thursday’s 7-2 loss further brought their challenges to light. Juan Soto amassed just two hits in the game. Meanwhile, Aaron Judge totaled one walk.

Perhaps a lineup change can allow the stars to build more momentum as the Yankees gear up for a three-game Detroit Tigers series. Soto looks to bounce back strong while getting adjusted to his new team.

Juan Soto joined the Yankees via trade during the offseason after a two-year stint with the San Diego Padres. He batted an average of .275, hit 35 home runs, had 109 RBI, and boasted an OPS of .930 in 2023. The latter two of his stats were ranked top ten in the MLB, per ESPN.

One of the 25-year-old’s best abilities is durability. He comes off a season where he played a career-high 162 games. So far, Soto is putting up serviceable production in 2024. He bats .331, has hit eight home runs, is responsible for 25 RBI, and holds an OPS of 1.029. Surely, Soto will return strong from his Orioles showing alongside Aaron Judge.

Judge has battled a lingering toe issue stemming from the summer of 2023. Yet, the veteran center fielder looks solid in 2024. His batting average is down at .197, but he has hit six home runs to go with 18 RBI and a .725 OPS.

Judge and Soto are vital to New York’s success amid a highly aspirational season.

Yankees are on a mission to avenge their 2023 showing 

New York finished the 2023 season with an 82-80 record. Thus, they missed the MLB Playoffs for the first time since 2016. Nevertheless, the Yankees look strong in 2024 outside of their challenging Orioles series.

The Yankees hold a record of 20-13, which places them one spot below Baltimore for second in the AL East. Still, star veteran Aaron Judge does want the club’s poor offensive showing against the Orioles to become a habit.

“Those guys are making their pitches,” Judge said, via Kirschner. “But guys were putting the ball in play. That’s all you can ask for in that situation. Just keep getting guys on ball and try to drive a pitch when you get one. A couple of guys hit the ball hard and just hit the ball.”

Moreover, Aaron Boone believes the team’s struggles will allow them to learn and come back stronger.

“We’ve had some of those nights where we’ve got shut down where we had a lot of traffic but we didn’t get the big hit and they kept us in the ballpark,” Aaron Boone said, via Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. “Just got to keep giving ourselves a chance like that and trust we’ll break through. But I thought we put together a lot of good at-bats at the top.”

All in all, the Yankees have plenty of good baseball ahead of them. It will be interesting to how they perform going into the pivotal month of May.