This is exactly what should have happened at the beginning.
After some speculation and manager Joe Girardi saying Aaron Hicks could be the starter in right field, the starting role at the position will go to 24-year-old Aaron Judge.
Girardi on Judge: "he's our right fielder"
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) March 30, 2017
Judge was hitting over .300 during spring training with three home runs and a 12/6 K/BB ratio in 22 games. We know spring training numbers are to be taken with a grain of salt, but he more than earned the right to make the Opening Day roster.
Hicks had a .217/.281/.381 line in 2016 which shows he certainly regressed since an impressive 2015 performance. Judge had a stellar performance in the minors which is also a set of numbers that are to be looked at with a side eye.
With Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2016, Judge slashed a .270/.366/.489 line with 19 home runs.
For the rebuilding Yankees, this couldn’t have come at a better time. They have a ton of young stars set to shine this season with Judge leading the way.