Judge gets time in left — just in case

NORTH PORT, Fla. — The morning after playing his first game in 10 days Wednesday night, Aaron Judge reported to Aaron Boone that he was feeling “really good.”

With that box checked, the Yankees will have Judge check another off on Friday: playing left field.

Judge is scheduled to start Friday’s game against the Mets in left field, taking a detour from his new everyday spot in center field to prepare for the occasions during the regular season when the Yankees might need him to slide over.

“I just want to get him in there,” Boone said Thursday before a 5-2 loss to the Braves at CoolToday Park. “Just wanted to do it at least once so that if you got a situation where [Trent] Grisham’s in the game late or Grisham’s starting a game and [Alex Verdugo] is out or something, just want to have that in there.”

➤ Luis Gil will start Friday’s game against the Mets, with Will Warren expected to piggyback him with both taking their last crack at winning the fifth-starter job to break camp.

The Yankees still see Warren strictly as a starter, but are debating whether Gil would be best used as a starter or filling the Michael King role out of the bullpen as a multi-inning weapon. The latter would also allow the Yankees to manage Gil’s innings after he has barely pitched the last two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, though Boone said that would not give them any hesitation in putting him right into the rotation to start the season.

“He’s ready to go either way,” Boone said.

➤ DJ LeMahieu did some agility drills and light running at Steinbrenner Field on Thursday as he tries to get back from a bone bruise on his right foot in time for Opening Day. LeMahieu had done similar workouts indoors before Thursday, but this was his first time outdoors since fouling the ball off his foot on Saturday.

—