Aaron Judge has hit third in the batting order 59 times this season, and on Saturday night, the Yankees’ skipper announced the slumping rookie slugger will continue to work out his issues in the same spot.
“I’m not going to move [Judge],” Joe Girardi told the New York Daily News after Judge went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the Yankees’ 4-3 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. “He’s still dangerous. He’s still getting on at a pretty high clip, and he’s on in front of some other guys that are swinging the bat pretty well. So he’s going to stay there.”
While Judge carried New York’s offense during the first half of the season with a .329 batting average, 30 home runs and 66 RBI, the notion to keep the 25-year-old atop the lineup has become an unpopular opinion as of late. Judge has hit just .175 since the All-Star break, with seven homers and 14 RBI. He’s also struck out in 36 consecutive games — a Major League-season record.
In 213 at-bats out of the third slot, Judge has slashed .239/.392/.484 with 15 homers, 32 RBI, 51 walks and 89 strikeouts. To make matters worse, he’s also hit just .266 (29-for-109) with runners in scoring position all season.
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