Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge will undergo more imaging for a “more specific” analysis of the bone bruise in his upper right rib.
New York’s captain sat out his first two games of the series Tuesday and Wednesday and the Yankees lost both to the Cleveland Guardians.
After Wednesday’s 5-4 setback, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said testing done earlier in the day prompted the desire for a “more high-power, more specific” examination to determine whether Judge would require a stint on the injured list.
“We’re waiting,” Boone said Thursday in an interview with MLB Network. “There’s edema around (the rib bruise) they wanted another look at. He went in for CT and X-ray. I do expect us to know something definitive by today, and even immediately.”
If Judge has to be placed on the IL, Boone said the Yankees could be close to getting reinforcements back in the lineup soon. Injured outfielder Jasson Dominguez took batting practice before Thursday’s game and will begin a rehab assignment Friday, Boone said.
Dominguez sprained the AC joint in his left shoulder when he slammed into the outfield wall while making a leaping catch during the first inning of New York’s 9-2 victory over the Texas Rangers four weeks ago.
Giancarlo Stanton is on the injured list with a calf injury. He also took swings against live pitching and is running. If he is able to prove he’s healthy with another BP session this week, Boone said his return will be “in play.”
Boone did not provide an answer when asked if the latest testing of Judge’s injury had either confirmed or ruled out a fractured rib.
“I don’t want to speak out of turn. I don’t know that yet,” Boone said. “It’s to a point where he’s not playing. We just want to make sure that we get a really strong diagnosis of things, and hopefully then we can roll.”
Boone said earlier this week that Judge had been playing through the injury for weeks. The three-time American League MVP is hitting just .163 with one homer and eight RBIs in 13 games since May 17.
Judge, 34, entered Thursday tied with Ben Rice for the team lead in home runs (17) and has 10 doubles, 38 RBIs and five stolen bases while batting .248 through 59 games.
Judge, a seven-time All-Star, is a lifetime .291 hitter with 385 homers, 868 RBIs, 213 doubles and 70 stolen bases in 1,204 games with the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
