Yankees manager Aaron Boone did not qualify Aaron Judge’s illness Friday as an oblique injury. He didn’t even mean it was an injury. But the discomfort Judge suffers on the left side will keep him out of the New York lineup for at least one more day as the team has decided to be cautious with the star gunner.
“I just felt like I wanted to wait at least one more day,” Boone said, the Yankees facing the Rays at St. Tropicana Field. Petersburg. “He had a good day of treatment in the afternoon. Same this morning. He hit the cages this morning and he was fine.
“I insist, I just felt like it was a situation where I want to give it at least one more day and see how things are in 24 hours. It’s just a matter of thinking long term and not forcing anything, to be safe.”
Boone indicated that Judge has undergone “several tests” with the strengthening and conditioning equipment, but that no MRI analysis has been recommended.
After blowing up the fence for the second straight game on Tuesday, Judge was not in the lineup Wednesday against Baltimore. At this point, it was obvious that the players of Judge lowered the tempo and became more defensively oriented. When asked if the discomfort was affecting an oblique muscle, Boone said it was simply “generalized discomfort.”
On two occasions during his Major League career, Judge has lost time due to strains in the oblique muscles, including a two-month stretch in 2019.
“We’re trying to take all of that into account, understanding that we’re also talking about a very strong player who is proud to go out and play when he can,” Boone said. “Definitely, given the history of this injury, we don’t want it to get worse.”