New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge made an surprising announcement Tuesday: He underwent an MRI the month earlier than later experiencing belly discomfort and gained’t be swinging a bat for the extra of the life.
Aaron Pass judgement on says he underwent an MRI on his abs the day gone by. He mentioned that he’ll now not swing a bat once more till after within the life. Stated “there’s no real need to push it,” and his function is to play games Opening Generation.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 12, 2024
Pass judgement on used to be given the month off Monday month the Yankees confronted the Philadelphia Phillies, however supervisor Aaron Boone hadn’t mentioned the rest about Pass judgement on having any particular factor. Actually, Boone went out of his approach to signify Pass judgement on as being “mid-spring beat up,” particularly from the paintings he has carried out all through spring.
That’s now not somewhat how Pass judgement on put it.
“I think just from swinging from November all the way until now, every single day, it put some wear and tear on it,” Judge said via Brian Hoch of MLB.com. “Especially coming back after a [right] toe injury when your mechanics are a little messed up and you’re just working on some things.”
No one can blame Yankees fans for hearing alarm bells right now. Judge has had difficulty staying healthy the past several seasons, dealing with injuries to his oblique and toe that cost him quite a bit of time. That he’s already dealing with wear and tear doesn’t seem like a good omen for the upcoming season, and Boone’s apparent lie by omission only makes it seem like the Yankees were trying to hide it.
Judge doesn’t seem terribly concerned, though, chalking it up to “being a baseball player every day.” He said the tests on his abs came back fine, noting specifically that it wasn’t his oblique, and he is “pretty sure” he’ll be ready for Opening Day.
Aaron Judge was asked if he is confident that he will be ready for Opening Day:
“I’m pretty sure. I don’t want to speculate or talk about anything that hasn’t come yet. The most important thing is taking some time now and be back out there soon.”
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 12, 2024
“Pretty sure” isn’t a phrase that elicits a lot of confidence, but Judge being banged up before Opening Day isn’t the Yankees’ only problem. Their ace, Gerrit Cole, underwent an MRI on his right elbow Monday after he had trouble bouncing back between spring starts. There was no update on Cole’s status Tuesday morning, but Boone said something that felt extremely ominous.
Aaron Boone said the Yankees have “started to have those conversations” about who would get started Opening Generation in park of Gerrit Cole.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 12, 2024
In contrast to Judge, Cole has been heathy since he signed with the Yankees in 2020. He has been a workhorse, making his starts every five days like clockwork and putting up numbers that range from “superb” all the way to “holy cow.” Dropping Cole for quite a lot of weeks would heartless bother for the Yankees, one thing their captain is absolutely conscious about.
“I know he’s not bouncing back the way he is, but that guy’s a perfectionist,” Judge said about Cole. “I’m hoping for the best news, even if it’s him being out a couple of weeks. I’ll take that over anything worse. We’re all praying for the best.”
