Yankees News: Aaron Judge arrives at spring training, Jasson Dominguez, Anthony Volpe

Regardless if you're a "positive" fan or not, it's hard to argue against the New York Yankees kicking off spring training poorly. It all started with the Marcus Stroman trade rumors/nonsensical report date drama. It was followed up with Austin Wells, for whatever reason, not swinging when facing live pitchers. And it culminated with Giancarlo Stanton's double elbow injury that could jeopardize the start of his season.

If we had happier things to report on, we would! But a grainy video of Max Fried throwing and short clips of Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt in street clothes feel like grasping for straws. The Yankees need to give us a reason to be excited. It will not be contrived. The fanbase might be harsh, but they see through the smoke and mirrors. And at the end of the day, no fanbase wants to celebrate more than the Yankee faithful.

Finally, we have some reasons to look on the bright side. For starters, the Captain has arrived to camp! Aaron Judge reported to Tampa on Sunday and spoke to the media Monday. We caught a glimpse of the reigning AL MVP taking batting practice. He's also back taking reps in right field, which is tremendous news.

Judge spoke on a number of topics, ranging from his spot in the batting order to Juan Soto's departure to how motivated the guys in the clubhouse are to avenge the World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Yankees News: Aaron Judge speaks, Jasson Dominguez progress, Anthony Volpe on Juan Soto

The spark notes? Judge tried to reach out to Soto, but the Mets star changed his phone number at the onset of the offseason, which seemed to be a purposeful ploy. Nobody could reach out to him. He wanted to get the most money from Steve Cohen, and that's what he got. Moving on.

As for more important topics, Judge is willing to hit anywhere in the lineup, with No. 3 being a strong possibility after what manager Aaron Boone had relayed earlier. We'll have to see how the rest of spring shakes out. In regard to team morale, Judge made it clear that losing the Fall Classic is "a lot worse" than not even making it, so it's safe to say there's more motivation heading into 2025.

Judge will be sharing the outfield with (hopeful) budding star Jasson Dominguez, who really needs a competent season under his belt for fans to believe the hype from back when he was signed as an international free agent/debuted in 2023. Dominguez talked about how he's working harder to get acclimated to left field after struggling defensively in 2024.

That wasn't the only issue with the top prospect, however. Dominguez also hit a wall offensively, and he revealed that might've been because he was "lost" on the right side of the plate last season. He's definitely stronger from the left side, but as we've seen with someone like Oswaldo Cabrera, a player's overall offense can significantly crater if they're struggling mightily from one side.

Not too long after this, Dominguez creamed a homer off Carlos Rodón in the righty batter's box. That's a start!

Similar to Dominguez, all eyes will be on Anthony Volpe heading into his third full MLB season. An honest assessment of Volpe would detail his spectacular range, but problematic arm strength and wildly inconsistent offense. There's a lot to like about the up-and-coming talent, but he'll need to put a bit more success into practice before fans can fully get behind his development.

The 2024 season was eerily similar to his rookie 2023. Volpe played tremendous defense but his middling bat held the Yankees back considerably. The good news? He woke up in the postseason and logged a few clutch hits that might've helped his confidence.

Volpe doubled down on his love for playing in New York — something fans will enjoy thoroughly — and he also had an extremely mature response to Soto's one year with the Yanks, detailing both his on- and off-field impact.

Volpe's personality, impressive work ethic, and appreciation of the Yankees have played big roles in keeping him in the fanbase's good graces. In fact, many have come to his defense over his struggles, blaming the Yankees for the position they have put him in and further questioning the team's development strategies beyond the Double-A level.

Nonetheless, Volpe very much seems as if he's in a good spot after reporting to spring training, and that's all we can ask for. Let's call it a wash, then, shall we? Judge, Dominguez and Volpe (in a more forgiving world) should outweigh Stroman, Wells and Stanton.