When the New York Yankees battle the Tampa Bay Rays this afternoon, a lineup filled with promising youth will take the field.

  • Tampa Bay Rays (46-68)
  • New York Yankees (59-56)
  • American League, 1:05 pm ET, YES Network
  • Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

The much-anticipated debut of Aaron Judge is finally here.

After announcing the promotion teammate Tyler Austin last night, the New York Yankees decided to make it a duo. Both fresh faces will make their major league debuts today with the storied departure of Alex Rodriguez.

Austin will bat seventh and play first while Judge bats directly behind him and plays right field. Additionally, Gary Sanchez, who has gotten off to a torrent start in the bigs, will be in the lineup as the designated hitter.

Three potential cornerstones of the organization’s next decade will contribute in some way, shape, or form this afternoon.

Judge, the Yankees’ fourth-best prospect, was hitting .270 with 19 homers and 65 RBIs in 93 games with the RailRiders this year. The 24-year-old’s promotion is mostly due to a recent surge following a return from the disabled list.

Over his last ten games, the 6’7″, 275 lb presence is batting .353 (12-34) with three homers and 11 runs batted in.

As ace Masahiro Tanaka (8-4, 3.32 ERA) gets the ball today, it is time for the ‘Baby Bombers’ to bloom. Not for nothing, the Yanks do sit only 3.5 games out of a playoff spot and 5.5 games off the pace in the AL East.

Yes, Yankee fans, excitement is the name of the game today.

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