Soto-Judge tandem reactivated to light spark under Yankees

TORONTO -- Juan Soto makes little secret of his disdain for watching games from the bench. But when the outfielder’s bruised right hand still presented an issue in the hours before Sunday’s scheduled first pitch, the Yankees filled out their lineup card without his name.

Soto still had time to change minds, prompting a new batting order to be filed just minutes before game time. Soto ripped a 106.5 mph single in his first at-bat, Aaron Judge hit his Major League-leading 31st homer and the Yankees were off and rolling in an 8-1 victory over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

“I heard [Soto] hitting in the cage and it sounded pretty loud, so I figured that was a good sign,” Judge said. “It was good to have him back out there and get back to doing what he does.”

When Soto knocked on manager Aaron Boone’s door with good news, the Yankees scrambled to produce a new lineup, a task made more challenging when bench coach Brad Ausmus saw his computer freeze.

But there have been few glitches for Judge, who appears to be a lock to earn his second consecutive American League Player of the Month Award, putting the finishing touches on a June in which he hit .409 with 11 homers with 37 RBIs.

“Especially if you consider the hitting climate we’re in, it’s head and shoulders above anything we’re seeing,” Boone said. “What he and Juan are doing as a tandem is hard to wrap your brain around.”

Batting .316 with a Major League-leading 81 RBIs, Judge completed Sunday’s action first or second in the AL in all three Triple Crown categories. (The Angels’ Luis Rengifo leads the league with a .317 batting average.) The Yankees haven’t had a Triple Crown winner since Mickey Mantle in 1956.

“It’d be cool, but it’s just not my focus,” Judge said. “Like a lot of guys in this room, we don’t play for that stuff. We play to win. Anytime you put on these pinstripes or the ‘NY,’ you play to win. If that comes with it, that’d be great, but I think we’re all focused on getting the championship first.”

The homer was the 288th of Judge’s career, surpassing Bernie Williams (287) for sole possession of seventh place on the franchise’s all-time list.

“He’s an outstanding player,” said right-hander Gerrit Cole. “He’s settled into the season nicely, and he’s just kind of plugging away like we all expected him to. He’s able to go on historical runs, MVP-type runs, otherworldly-type runs. I mean, he’s just a great player.”

Judge’s early blast provided immediate support behind an encouraging start for Cole, who completed five innings in his third start since returning from the injured list, earning his first victory of the season.

The outing saw Cole bounce back from one of the roughest performances of his career last time out against the Mets, when he surrendered four homers in four innings at Citi Field.

“I thought Gerrit was excellent. That was Gerrit out there,” Boone said. “I felt like he had great presence to him, that kind of quiet intensity. But he was also very much in control of the game and his rhythm.”

Appearing sharper as the day went on, Cole limited the Blue Jays to one run on six hits, completing his afternoon by zipping a 96.5 mph fastball past Spencer Horwitz for his sixth strikeout. Cole issued a walk and hit a batter (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) in throwing 90 pitches, 61 for strikes.

“I thought it was a good blend of stuff and command,” Cole said. “I pitched pretty smart for the most part, so it was a good day. There was a pretty conscious effort to hone in the command a little bit, making sure we’re giving ourselves a chance over the plate. That’s part of the buildup process. As you keep getting stronger, you’re going to have to tinker here and there.

“I thought it was improved today. It certainly isn’t where it needs to be, but it was definitely improved.”

Said Blue Jays manager John Schneider: “He’s a damn good pitcher. I thought we had a few chances and didn’t really do much with them.”

DJ LeMahieu continued a resurgent series by driving in a pair of runs, and Soto worked a bases-loaded walk against Toronto starter Kevin Gausman, who was knocked for seven runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Trent Grisham greeted Genesis Cabrera with a two-run double in a three-run New York fifth inning, and Gleyber Torres continued to bounce back well after being benched earlier in the week, going 2-for-5 with a double.

“One thing I know is, Gleyber can hit,” Boone said. “To my core, I feel like that’s going to happen. I feel like he had an outstanding three days of at-bats here. It’s good to see, because we need that. Hopefully he can carry that into the homestand.”