Yankees drop major Aaron Judge surprise, shrug off injury scare in Friday lineup vs. Blue Jays

The New York Yankees haven't been home in a while, so they decided to give their fans a few gifts on Friday afternoon, less than four hours before first pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The last time they opened a rivalry series in the Bronx - two weeks ago against the Red Sox - some awkward juggling resulted in a seated Giancarlo Stanton for Game 2, a Friday night 1-0 shutout loss. To be fair, though, balancing Stanton's legs and outfield work was next to impossible, given the constraints around Aaron Judge. A similar Stanton rest situation seemed likely on Friday, too, especially after three straight days on his feet in Houston.

Or, of course, you could always ... move Aaron Judge back to right field with zero fanfare, opening up the DH slot for Stanton once again.

You could also show off Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the lineup, less than 24 hours after he was removed from the finale in Houston with double knee contusions.

This team followed a big win in Texas with an overnight flight, landing in New York jet-lagged, but still motivated. Kudos to the Yankees; they found a few ways to perk everybody up for this one.

Yankees lineup vs. Toronto Blue Jays includes Aaron Judge in right field, Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base

Judge's return to the grass and Chisholm shaking off the pain that had him signaling "no mas" on Thursday will rightly grab the headlines, but don't overlook Jose Caballero getting the start at shortstop over Anthony Volpe, too. All the stops are being pulled out with the Yankees sitting three games behind the dreaded Jays (who, of course, rested up on an off day yesterday while the Yanks were toiling).

Judge and Aaron Boone seemed to be at odds over his right arm's recovery timeline a few weeks back, but neither ever lost faith that this day would come. Now, the Yankees will get to roll out a more idealized version of their lineup down the stretch, as well as give Stanton the breather he deserves ahead of a crucial week. If it's starting to feel like these games matter more, it's because they do.