Final tuneup gives glimpse of Yanks' lineup

NEW YORK -- The dry runs are now complete for the Yankees, who feel like they have a solid grasp on what this pandemic-altered season will look and feel like. They’re ready to accept the reality of omnipresent masks, artificial crowd noise and a few on-field rule tweaks, embracing the opportunity to play for a championship.

In a contest that featured arguably the most bizarre home run of Aaron Judge’s career, the Yankees concluded their Summer Camp schedule with a 2-2 tie against Joe Girardi, Didi Gregorius and the Phillies on Monday evening at Yankee Stadium. It also may have offered a preview of the Yanks’ Opening Day lineup, manager Aaron Boone said.

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“There's a good chance that's what you could see, absolutely,” Boone said. “We’ll see if DJ [LeMahieu] is ready, but there's a good chance that's what it could look like.”

LeMahieu will continue to log at-bats in a simulated game on Tuesday, but Judge looks ready for the season to begin. The slugger mashed his third home run in the last two games, but only after Phillies starter Vince Velasquez had recorded the final out of the fifth inning.

Girardi indicated that he wanted Velasquez to continue pitching in order to reach his allotted pitch count, and it was determined that Judge’s homer counted on the scoreboard.

“Judgie looks really locked in right now,” LeMahieu said. “I mean, really locked in for not having Spring Training and having [only a] few ABs, he looks really, really good. Yeah, just another impressive swing.”

Mike Ford tied the game in the ninth with a pinch-hit home run off Mauricio Llovera. Though Luke Voit is in line to begin the season as New York's starting first baseman, Boone indicated that he envisions a role on the roster for the left-handed-hitting Ford, who has displayed a knack for coming off the bench with power.

“He's a really good hitter, and I think a really good middle-of-the-order Major League hitter. I mean, that's how I view him,” Boone said. “I think he's that good, offensively. He’s the real deal in the box.”

Right-hander Deivi García struggled in a 1 2/3-inning effort, permitting back-to-back doubles to Gregorius and J.T. Realmuto in the first inning that accounted for the Phils’ first run, and allowing a Roman Quinn run-scoring hit in the second that followed an errant pickoff throw by the 21-year-old prospect.

Rated as the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline, García allowed four hits and two walks in the 46-pitch outing, while also recording a strikeout and hitting a batter.

“I wanted to be more aggressive,” García said through a translator. “That’s the mindset I had and what I wanted to do. Today, I struggled a little bit with that. At the same time, you learn from every outing. Tonight is going to be one of those where you go through it and you learn from the experience.”

Right-hander David Hale, a non-roster invitee competing for a spot in the Yankees’ Opening Day bullpen, worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief, while right-hander Nick Nelson struck out three of the five men he faced. Left-hander Zack Britton, who projects to begin the year as New York’s closer with Aroldis Chapman on the COVID-19 injured list, pitched a scoreless inning.

Boone said that the Yankees’ coaching staff and front office held extensive meetings on Monday morning as they aim to whittle down their Summer Camp roster to 30 players, with those discussions expected to continue on Tuesday.

“We came to a couple of tough decisions that we've decided on,” Boone said. “Obviously, our roster can be a little bit fluid in the first week or two, with anywhere from one to a few guys trickling back in that first week to 10 days, potentially. I feel like we understand which direction we're going, at least initially, and we'll adjust from there.”