NEW YORK -- Corey Kluber’s no-hitter on Wednesday has highlighted a run of superb starting pitching, Gio Urshela helped turn the Yankees’ first triple play since 2014 and Gleyber Torres returned from a brief stint on the COVID-19 injured list swinging one of the Majors’ hottest bats.

It has been a wild run within the Yankees’ clubhouse walls, and Aaron Judge said that he believes this group is just getting started.

“There’s a lot of things going on; we’re focused and excited,” Judge said. “We show up to the ballpark every single day ready to go. We’ve got a great group of guys in there that are hungry and ready to work. It doesn't matter if we’re missing guys, we’re missing coaches. We’re locked in and ready to go when it's 7 o’clock or 1 o'clock.”

Judge entered Sunday’s series finale with the White Sox having reached base in 14 consecutive games, batting .447 (21-for-47) with five homers and seven RBIs over that span. Judge has reached base multiple times in a team-leading 25 of 43 games this year.

With Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list due to a strained left quadriceps, Judge said that receiving more frequent turns at designated hitter has probably helped his production.

“It helps out anytime you get off your feet a little bit, but I'm usually not getting too many balls [in right field] when we’ve got our starting pitchers doing their thing,” Judge said. “It’s good to help the team out in the [batter’s] box and do what I can offensively, but I miss being out there on defense. I don't mind the DH days I've gotten.”

Gardy party
With Aaron Hicks having opted for surgery to repair a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, Brett Gardner said that he is prepared to take on the lion’s share of playing time in center field.

“I feel more comfortable there than I do in left, to be honest,” Gardner said. “I see the ball good off the bat. It's just a matter of continuing to work and put myself in a good position to go out and contribute. With [Hicks] going down for a little while, the team needs me and other guys now more than ever to step it up.”

Manager Aaron Boone has mentioned Clint Frazier and Tyler Wade as backup options in center field, but he plans to play Gardner frequently at the position. After a slow start, Gardner has been swinging a more potent bat of late, entering Sunday going 8-for-21 (.381) over his previous six games.

“I feel like he's swung the bat really well,” Boone said. “I even think he's swung it better than the results would suggest; he's had a number of balls right on the screws for outs. I feel like his at-bat quality has been really good. It’s good to see him start to build some offensive momentum.”

Comeback trail
Stanton is eligible to come off the injured list on Monday, though Boone seemed to leave some wiggle room when asked if the Yankees' DH would be activated for Tuesday’s series opener against the Blue Jays.

“He’s tracking in the right way,” Boone said. “We’ll see how the off-day looks like and see where we’re at on Tuesday.”

Left-hander Zack Britton (recovery from left elbow surgery) is nearing his Minor League rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset, according to Boone, who expects Britton to need about five appearances before being activated.

This date in Yankees history
May 23, 1962: Joe Pepitone hit two homers in a nine-run eighth inning as the Yankees defeated the Athletics, 13-7, at Yankee Stadium. Pepitone remains one of four Yankees to homer twice in an inning, a group that also includes Joe DiMaggio, Cliff Johnson and Alex Rodriguez.