New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge will stop offensive activities until the remainder of the week after suffering an abdominal injury, he told reporters on Tuesday.
This comes after manager Aaron Boone gave Judge the day off yesterday for being “mid-spring beat up.” The Bronx Bomber, however, underwent an MRI on Monday for discomfort in the central portion of his abs, not the more alarming oblique area.
“We ran tests and everything came back good,” Judge said (h/t Bryan Hoch, MLB.com). “It’s just what I told them, I was a little banged up and needed a couple days. Hopefully, we’ll get back out there soon.”
He expects to be fully ready to go for Opening Day, which is just over two weeks away.
The Yankees should understandably approach this with extreme caution, regardless. Judge suffered a toe injury that sidelined him for more than seven weeks. With him out of the lineup, New York’s lineup never recovered, even when he returned to the fold in late July while contending with mechanical issues at the dish that stemmed from the injury.
General manager Brian Cashman did well to bring on a big gun to support Judge and provide superstar depth to the Yankees’ lineup by acquiring Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. But if Judge were to miss time, it’s significantly easier working around one hitter near the top of the lineup rather than the back-to-back threat that the duo can impose in 2024.
Not only are the Yankees contending with a knock to their most valuable bat, but they are still waiting for the results of reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole’s MRI, which he underwent on Monday to examine an issue in his right elbow.
