The early days of spring training often present some strange sights as players get ready for both the World Baseball Classic and the 2026 Major League season. Hitters want to prepare to face the best pitchers and pitchers need to have a game plan when facing the best hitters. That's why Aaron Judge was in the batter's box Sunday facing Yankees ace pitcher Max Fried.

Normally, a batting practice pitcher is throwing behind a screen as players fine tune their swing. But this was live batting practice and that's why the Yankees' Judge was at the plate facing Fried without a screen. This can be a dangerous situation for multiple reasons. Judge is at risk if Fried were to come inside and hit him with a hard fastball or slider.

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Fried is at risk if the powerful Judge hammers a line drive right back at him. That's just what happened Sunday, as the 6-7, 282-pound Judge caught a Fried offering squarely and lined it right back up the middle. As the pitcher finished his delivery, his back was towards Judge and the batted ball hit Fried in the back side. It appeared to be more of a glancing blow than a direct hit and it appeared the pitcher avoided a significant injury.

The moment was a scary one for Judge, Fried and Yankees manager Aaron Boone, but it does not appear to be anything that will cause serious problems for the Yankees.

However, this cannot be avoided at certain points during spring training. Live batting practice gives both the pitchers and the hitters an opportunity to know where they stand before the start of the WJC and the 2026 big league season