Yankees takeaways: Winning without Judge, Weathers in relief, near disaster in outfield

CLEVELAND — Aaron Judge? Who needs him?

In all seriousness, the New York Yankees can’t wait to get Judge, maybe the best player in baseball, back in the lineup. But with a sweep of the Cleveland Guardians — finished with an 8-4 win Wednesday at Progressive Field — they showed that life without Judge doesn’t have to be all anxiety and white knuckles.

“Yes, we miss our (captain),” second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. said. “We miss the best player in the league. But at the end of the day, we have a lot of talented players. I don’t think you can win with just one guy.”

The Yankees are 5-3 since Judge last played, on May 31. He’s been on the injured list since Friday after doctors diagnosed him with a stress fracture in his right first rib. The three-time American League MVP could be out for two months or more.

This series, the Yankees received key contributions from just about everybody on their roster. They hope that it shows they’ll be able to at least tread water without Judge. Entering this season, they were 130-108 (.546) when Judge was out of the lineup since his first full season in 2017.

And with Wednesday’s win, they improved to 41-26 this season — remaining tied for first place in the American League East with the Tampa Bay Rays (40-25). The Yankees are off Thursday before beginning a road series Friday with the Toronto Blue Jays, another division foe.

“I’ve always felt like we’ve had a really good team,” manager Aaron Boone said. “You take the best player in the world out, that’s going to have an impact. But we have people capable of stepping in and doing their job, and they have done a good job of that the last few days. Again, these series are great because, obviously, you pick up three wins, which is huge. You take wins whenever you can get them. But with having seemingly the entire roster really contributing in meaningful ways in winning scenarios, you love that.”

Judge didn’t have a locker in the visitors clubhouse this week. It’s unclear if he’ll travel to Toronto.

On Monday, the Yankees used every player on their roster except for reliever Fernando Cruz in a 7-5 win.

On Tuesday, highlights included Cruz working a 25-pitch ninth inning for his first save of the season, top outfield prospect Spencer Jones hitting his first career home run and Chisholm’s eighth-inning solo shot that provided the go-ahead run for a 3-2 win.

And on Wednesday, 38-year-old Paul Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a walk, Trent Grisham continued his hot stretch, going 2-for-4 with a triple — and an incredible head-first slide to score in the sixth on José Caballero’s sacrifice fly. Plus, starting pitcher Carlos Rodón helped an overworked bullpen by going six innings (three earned runs).

“Just a really outstanding series against a team that I think is really good over there in the Guardians,” Boone said.

Chisholm said when Judge is healthy, the Yankees are “trying to help him more than anything.” With him on the IL, Chisholm said, “we’ve all got to do our own part and try to be our best to make up for what we’re missing with him out.”

Ryan Weathers, reliever?

Ryan Weathers was available out of the bullpen but wasn’t called upon as Carlos Rodón, above, allowed three runs in six innings with seven strikeouts. (Jason Miller / Getty Images)

Weathers warmed up in the bullpen in the fourth inning with Rodón struggling. It was an odd sight. Weathers was slated to start Friday against the Blue Jays and he’s been a key member of the rotation.

The Yankees didn’t end up using him. Rodón needed just nine pitches to get through the fifth inning and worked a 1-2-3 sixth.

But what was the plan? Boone said the Yankees were willing to use Weathers as a bulk reliever — provided he was given a clean inning — if necessary. He hadn’t pitched since June 5 and was fresh.

“He was in play today,” Boone said, “which was awesome in and of itself. … He was ready for it and whatever we needed.”

Boone said the Yankees cleared the idea with Weathers late Tuesday night.

Weathers said he was happy to do it, especially knowing how hard the bullpen had been worked in recent days. He was also mindful of how the Yankees value having fresh arms in their bullpen and that if one of them were to get overworked, that reliever might face a demotion to Triple A.

“They’ve done so much for us,” Weathers said.

Near disaster

Center fielder Trent Grisham and right fielder José Caballero collide on a fly ball in the first inning. (Ken Blaze / Imagn Images)

In the first inning, center fielder Grisham and Caballero, playing right field, collided on Stuart Fairchild’s two-out fly to deep right-center field. Grisham caught it, but not before Caballero accidentally hit him in the face with his mitt. Then Grisham crashed his face into the wall.

Grisham called for it much of the way, but Caballero — still new to playing right field — didn’t hear him.

“It’s a learning process,” Caballero said. “I’m getting to know the range of everyone out there, and I’ll just try to be better the next time.”

Grisham said he was “fine” after the play.

Caballero was playing in right field with Anthony Volpe at shortstop. The Yankees seem to value the ability to play Volpe at shortstop while using Caballero’s defensive versatility at the same time.

Caballero has played 41 career games in right field, including four this season. He was the Yankees’ starting shortstop for approximately the first month and a half of the season with Volpe on the IL. But since May 22, when Caballero came off a short IL stint, he has started at shortstop just five times compared with 11 starts for Volpe.