Think about a preseason checklist with the Yankees. Where were the concerns? Were there too many righty hitters? Was there enough starting pitching? How about overall athleticism?

The outfield was not in the discussion. If anything, with the late signings of Brett Gardner and Jay Bruce and the lingering presence of Mike Tauchman and Miguel Andujar, the Yankees seemed covered behind a starting trio of Clint Frazier, Aaron Hicks and Aaron Judge. Just a month ago, it took Luke Voit’s decision to have knee surgery late in spring training to even shoehorn Bruce onto the roster.

Yet both the depth and the performance of the outfield have waned amid a disappointing Yankees April.

Bruce, no longer feeling qualified to succeed at a major league level, retired last week. On Tuesday, Tauchman was traded to the Giants. On Wednesday, Judge did not start, with manager Aaron Boone hiding behind vagaries about lower body soreness. That left a starting outfield of Clint Frazier, Brett Gardner and Aaron Hicks, who had combined for a .155 average in 189 plate appearances.

Frazier broke out at the plate, escaping a 2-for-41 slide with his first homer and a double in a 7-0 trouncing of the Orioles. Note the “at the plate.” Following the double, Frazier vapidly tried to cross to third on a grounder in front of him to shortstop and was easily thrown out — another sign he struggles to think the game out well in real time.

The overall outfield slash line entering Wednesday night’s game at Camden Yards was .191/.310/.323, and that was with Judge at .263/.385/.500. Judge’s mysterious leg ailments led to him being held out of the lineup for a second time this season (it was for three days and two games the first time). Boone would more comfortably provide his social security number to an online, anonymous Nigerian prince seeking a financial favor than publicly detail what ails Judge.

Boone described Judge as being banged up in multiple lower body realms — the same Judge-itis of earlier April. Boone said he saw no reason to be more specific than that about not playing one of the few players hitting in a flaccid lineup. Boone said he expected Judge to start Thursday’s matinee finale in Baltimore.

But it is clear that when they have long stretches of games — and they are in the midst of playing 13 straight days — Boone and the Yankees are going to play the preservation game with their oft-injured slugger. Judge is a dichotomy — both powerful and fragile. His absences in the past were usually covered by others stepping up within a long lineup. The Yankees, though, began Wednesday averaging 3 ½ runs per game, the second fewest in the AL. Perhaps they are breaking out — or maybe this is just the usual versus the Orioles.

As part of an attempted offensive remedy, Kyle Higashioka is now the starting catcher, though Boone is more likely to become as informative as WebMD about Judge’s maladies than put the word “starting” in front of “catcher” to describe Higashioka. But Higashioka is now the catcher playing most often, so, you know: the starting catcher.

Both Boone and general manager Brian Cashman said they are not there yet to cut into the playing time of Frazier, whose average climbed 26 points to .158, or Hicks, who despite better at-bats Wednesday, was hitless and now has four hits in his last 40 at-bats. All that has been lost so far is Hicks’ role as the No. 3 hitter — he has batted sixth or seventh in his last seven starts.

And the alternative pool is hardly deep enough to make changes. Tauchman was in the Giants starting lineup Wednesday night. For the 2021 Yankees, Tauchman hardly played and never hinted that he could recapture the best of his 2019 form. He was traded for Wandy Peralta, who provides bullpen depth with a minor league option. That raises the importance that Gardner, who will turn 38 in August, is not done. An 0-for-4 left him with one hit in his last 25 at-bats and hitting .175.

Miguel Andujar just got to the alternate site this week after a wrist ailment, but who knows when he will be ready, if he can handle the outfield or if he will be anything like the revelation who nearly won the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year. Giancarlo Stanton is from the Judge powerful/fragile department. He has started 85 games in the outfield as a Yankee, none since 2019. In spring, Boone suggested Stanton would be an outfield option at junctures. He was not as definitive on that Wednesday. Cashman said it was his manager’s call, but he thought it was probably best to protect Stanton’s bat by not exposing him to the field.

Cashman said the team is not having conversations about mixing up the outfield. Frazier, for example, still has a minor league option, but the Yankees are extending his chance to prove he is a six-month-season starting left fielder.

Come July, finding a veteran outfield bat is normally among the easier jobs in the trade market. But that is a long way off. If the offense is going to meet expectations, Judge needs to stay healthy and Frazier, Hicks and Gardner need a revival.