Boone: Judge playing CF is a possibility with Hicks on DL

Injuries to the outfield may put the New York Yankees in a position to ask Aaron Judge to make his major-league debut in center field.

"I don't want to run (Brett Gardner) into the ground," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com before Friday's game. "We're in a situation of need right now, but we still have to look at it through that lens and have to protect him, especially starting with four days on the turf and going home for a day game (on Monday).

"We've got to think big picture on this," Boone added, "so I would say (Judge) is a possibility."

The Yankees were forced to place Aaron Hicks on the 10-day disabled list Friday with an intercostal strain. While it isn't expected to sideline the center fielder for long, New York is already without Jacoby Ellsbury and lacks any depth beyond Gardner.

"I think it's more of a possibility now than it was," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman added.

The 25-year-old Judge hasn't played center field at the major-league level or in spring training.

"In college I played center and left," Judge told Hoch. "I'm familiar with it all," the Yankees slugger added, suggesting he still considers himself "primarily a center fielder."

Judge spent all of his 141 games in the outfield stationed at right field last year, and posted a .982 fielding percentage. Judge saved nine runs with his defense by DRS and 6.1 by UZR.