Aaron Boone mentioned that Aaron Judge is “starting to feel better,” although that hasn’t yet meant significant steps toward returning to the field.
It’s been four weeks since the Yankees revealed that their captain had a stress fracture in his ribs and would need further imaging in about four to six weeks.
On Tuesday, Boone indicated it would still be several weeks before a scan could confirm Judge’s healing.
However, Boone shared some positive updates from their conversations; the feedback from Judge has shown some improvement.
“He wasn’t comfortable for a while,” the Yankees manager explained before his team faced a 9-3 loss to the Tigers, marking their sixth consecutive defeat. “Things seem to be getting better, so we’re hopeful that this is a positive sign for his recovery.”
Judge believes he sustained the stress fracture while diving in Houston on April 26, and it took him some time to address the injury, opting for tests in early June.
Since then, Boone noted that arguably one of baseball’s best hitters has been “unable to do much” and hasn’t participated in any baseball activities, though Judge has managed to train in the weight room to strengthen his lower body.
The timeline for his return remains uncertain.
“It’s encouraging that he seems to be feeling better this week,” Boone remarked.
In another development, Jazz Chisholm Jr. reported feeling improved after a collision with Jason Dominguez the day before and thought he could be available off the bench. Yet, Boone stated Chisholm would only be used in an emergency situation.
Chisholm mentioned he expected to exit concussion protocol. Boone remains uncertain about Chisholm’s availability for Wednesday’s game, leading to Jose Caballero starting at second base the previous day.
Chisholm had attempted to catch a shallow fly ball in the fourth inning during Monday’s loss and was struck by Dominguez.
“It felt like I got punched in the face,” he said of the incident.
Cody Bellinger, who had played in 83 of the first 84 games this season, opted out for a second time as he struggles through a significant slump.
During his last 12 games, Bellinger recorded just five hits in 41 at-bats (.122 average) with a .396 OPS.
“He’s going to get things sorted out really soon,” Boone commented. “If we can at least start him tonight, he’ll have a chance to reset, and hopefully, things will turn around.”
Yovany Cruz, recently called up, pitched two perfect innings while striking out three and recorded five pitches over 100 mph, reaching a top speed of 161.5 mph.
Against left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal, Max Schumann started in left field, Spencer Jones in center, and Dominguez in right field.
