Boone shifts slugger to top of the order

TAMPA — If Aaron Boone drops Aaron Judge into the leadoff spot against certain lefties and the move helps the Yankees win games, a brainstorming session on a bus ride moving north Thursday will be noted.

After saying earlier Thursday, “I have no plans of leading him off,” Boone took a look at it on the bus ride home and the manager delved into the idea.

“About halfway between Fort Myers and here, actually, and looking at the first series, I have been poring over the lineups a little bit for that first series in Toronto and knowing their rotation, combination-wise, I think it makes a lot of sense,” Boone said. “Splitting up our lefties, three apart, kind of neutralizes a specialist. It is something I think kind of could work. As I was working through different combinations to try to give each guy the best protection and the best match-up potential, I think that way makes a little bit of sense.”

Boone called Judge from the bus to talk about the move, and Judge saw no problem with going up a notch from second to first.

“I don’t mind leading off,” said Judge, who added he thinks he might have done it in high school.

Since everything about Judge is outsized, Boone figured to try hitting him atop the order in a spring training game, as he did in Friday’s 5-0 loss to the Red Sox, would deliver a taste during a setting that is less intense than if he had done it during the regular season. And Boone didn’t rule out hitting Judge first against Blue Jays lefty J.A. Happ on Opening Day.

“If I wanted to do something like that in the regular season, I at least wanted to introduce it because obviously it’s a story and get that part out of the way,” Boone said.

As for leading Judge off on Opening Day, Boone didn’t rule it out.

“I might, I don’t know,” Boone said of the 6-foot-7, 282-pound Judge, who had a .422 on-base percentage and hit 52 home runs last year.

Of course, such a move impacts more than Judge. Giancarlo Stanton hit second, Greg Bird third, Gary Sanchez fourth and Brett Gardner ninth.

And naturally, Judge didn’t — and won’t — alter his approach if Boone does hit him first.

“My approach won’t change,” said Judge, who went 1-for-4 and fanned twice in the leadoff spot. “Try it out just in case we do it in the season when we face tough lefties.”