JUDGE MAY BE MIDDLE MAN

Aaron may head to CF with Hicks on DL

TORONTO — Another injuryprone Yankee is hurt again, and the Bombers are going to have to shift things around as a result — with Aaron Judge playing center field now a distinct possibility. Just one game into the season, Aaron Hicks was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a Grade 1 strain of his intercostal muscle, meaning Brett Gardner now moves from left to center on a regular basis.

But the Bombers don’t want to overexert the 34-year-old Gardner early in the 2018 campaign, meaning Judge may have to play a couple games in center until Jacoby Ellsbury is ready to return. Ellsbury (oblique) is eligible to come off the DL on Thursday, but Brian Cashman is unsure if that will happen. Knowing Ellsbury’s own injury history, you can’t be sure of anything.

“As I’ve told Gardy, especially early, I just don’t want to run him into the ground or wear him out,” Aaron Boone said before the Yankees’ 4-2 win over the Blue Jays on Friday night. “We’re obviously in a situation of need right now, but we still have to protect him, especially with four days on the turf (in Toronto) and going back for a daygame when we get home. We’ve got to think big picture on this as well.”

Judge played center in college at Fresno State, and made three starts there in the minors. He was seen taking flies there off of a machine on a backfield early in the spring, fueling the idea it could happen during the season. He told his manager he’d be glad to do it.

Boone mostly dismissed the possibility at that point, but that was when the Yankees had a ton of outfield depth. Since then, Clint Frazier (concussion, doing baseball activities in Tampa), Ellsbury and Hicks have all gotten hurt — joining injury-prone Greg Bird, who is out six to eight weeks after undergoing right ankle surgery, on the sideline.

“I’ll be ready to go,” said Judge, who was taking more reps in center during batting practice. “There’s more ground to cover but the reads are easier. You get true reads instead of those nasty topspin liners right at you in the corners. I’ll be comfortable if they call on me to play center.”

Hicks called his latest injury “frustrating,” and tried to talk his way out of a DL stint to no avail. Hicks, who played in just 88 games last season due to injuries, will need to sit for three days before resuming baseball activities.

Hicks thinks he can return in 10 days, but according to MLB.com, Grade 1 strains typically require 2-to3 weeks of recovery, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the team is also careful with the 28-year-old switch-hitter. Lefthanded hitter Billy McKinney, 23, was promoted from Triple-A Scranton and made his MLB debut against the Blue Jays, hitting seventh and playing left. He singled in his first career at-bat.

Giancarlo Stanton could now play left and/ or right the next two days.

The Bombers entered this season with such high expectations. The main concern of both their manager and GM: health.

Still, it’s reasonable to believe they can overcome these injuries, just as they did last season when Didi Gregorius and Gary Sanchez both went down in April and reserves Ronald Torreyes and Austin Romine were thrust into everyday action. Torreyes and Romine produced at a high level, helping the Bombers get off to a 21-9 start.

Now, they’re going to have to get creative again, which could mean Judge in center a couple times — even given the risk that the always aggressive slugger could injure himself out there.

And it could mean an earlier return for Ellsbury, who still hasn’t played a full nine innings or back-to-back games in extended spring training down in Tampa. Tyler Wade, who delivered a huge two-run double with two outs in the sixth that broke Friday’s game open, could also be a candidate for outfield.

But just when you thought Ellsbury, who is still due $68 million over the next three years, was going to be a nonfactor in 2018, he may end up getting regular playing time. That’s what happens over 162 games. It’s why depth and versatility are so important.

Still, as long as the Yankees can keep their starting pitching healthy, they should be able to overcome this setback — perhaps with a little help from Aaron Judge in center.