Yankees Next Call Up: Will it be Tyler Austin or Aaron Judge?

After tonight’s game, Alex Rodriguez will no longer be a member of the New York Yankees. His roster spot will allow the Yankees to bring up a young slugger from the minors. Utilityman Tyler Austin and OF Aaron Judge look like the most likely candidates.

Well, this is it. After Alex Rodriguez departs from the Bronx, he’ll no longer take up a roster spot, and the youth movement can finally begin in earnest. After hitting .199/.247/.348 with the Yankees this season, it was only a matter of time before a youngster grabbed Rodriguez’s spot.

As of now, the two most talked about candidates to replace A-Rod have been Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge. Both are undoubtedly deserving of a call-up, but only one will make it.

The Case for Tyler Austin

After years of being a hyped-up prospect, injuries took a hit on Austin’s career, and he fell off the map significantly. Still, after years of hearing about him, he’s only 24-years-old, and he’s raked at Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre this season. He’s got a slash line of .323/.415/.637 with 24 doubles, 13 home runs and 49 RBI’s. Oh, and his OPS is 1.051. That is serious production for a prospect who had fallen off the radar severely in recent years.

More from Yanks Go Yard

• Did Andrew Benintendi contract help Yankees with Ian Happ trade?
• Aaron Judge Time interview scared Yankees as much as it scared you
• MLB Network’s proposed Yankees-White Sox trade seems insane
• Why weren’t Yankees in on Kodai Senga now that we know the price?
• There’s one way Yankees can make SF Giants’ offseason even worse

Austin is fairly versatile in the field, as he’s a capable first basemen, third basemen and outfielder. If he does indeed get the call, Yankees Manager Joe Girardi will love having him as a utility-man. He’d get time to showcase his ability at first, as a showdown v.s. Greg Bird in next year’s spring training looks imminent.

The Case for Aaron Judge

Besides being a fan favorite, Aaron Judge truly is a freak of nature. The 6′ 7″, 275 lb beast is a mammoth outfielder, and has obviously drawn comparisons to sluggers Dave Winfield and Giancarlo Stanton, pretty good company. In Triple-A this year, he’s hit to the tune of .269/.363/.481 with an OPS of .844. He’s slugged 18 home runs and 63 RBI.

A positive sign for Judge, he has significantly reduced his strikeout numbers, which is not always easy for a power hitter. In the field, Judge doesn’t have the versatility of Austin, but he possess a cannon of an arm, and is quite mobile for a guy his size.

Next: Breaking Down the Market for A-Rod

The Verdict

Despite fans demanding “Judge-ment Day”, I believe that the Yankees will call up Tyler Austin. Overall, he just has better numbers this year and he can play more positions. The fact that he can play first base is crucial to his potential promotion, as Austin Romine and Mark Teixeira are the only remaining options.

Judge will get his time soon though, as his debut will likely come when rosters expand in September. Either way, it’s almost a definite that he’ll be the starting right fielder in the Bronx come 2017.