The primary Yankees stories entering into their spring matinee against the Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon featured a chance to watch ace Gerrit Cole prepare for Opening Day, and an intriguing new defensive alignment that could be deployed in 2023.
The Yankees tested out Aaron Judge in left field with Giancarlo Stanton in right. It was Judge’s first game in left at any level since he was in Triple-A in 2016 (not counting the 2018 All-Star Game). The idea comes out of the Yankees wanting to get Stanton into the field more, which is something they apparently would like to do more this season to open up the DH spot.