Update on Aaron Judge’s Injuries

PHOENIX — Aaron Judge was already racing against time to fine-tune his performance ahead of the playoffs.

Now, a tightness in his lower right leg adds more uncertainty, which might possibly affect his availability for upcoming games.

The Yankees are holding out hope that the off day on Thursday, during which Judge is slated for additional treatment, will help. But as the team approached their opener against the Diamondbacks on Friday, his status remained unresolved.

With the next three games being played on turf, it complicates matters. The Yankees tend to be cautious about players with soft-tissue leg injuries when it comes to artificial surfaces.

It’s conceivable they may take the weekend to ensure Judge is fit before the crucial match against the Rays—a team that currently leads the American League East by five games with only ten left in the season.

Even though these games are vital for the division race, the Yankees would prefer to have Judge fully prepared for the playoffs rather than risk worsening his injury just to catch up to the Rays.

In what could be a sign of good news—or maybe just avoiding the worst-case scenario—both Jasson Domínguez and Max Schuemann were in the lineup for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday night. This indicates the Yankees are not rushing to find an injury replacement for Judge, although they may consider it in the days ahead.

If the Yankees believe there’s a chance Judge can return before the regular season concludes, it’s likely he won’t be put on the injured list, since doing so would sideline him until Game 161.

This could mean they might have to play short-handed in the upcoming days, particularly with rosters already expanded.

Before exiting Wednesday’s game against the Twins in the sixth inning, Judge had managed just 4 hits in 23 at-bats (.174) and recorded one home run along with a .513 OPS in his first seven games after returning from a right rib stress fracture that had kept him out for over three months.

Initially, after the Yankees eased him back, he was expected to be a full participant starting Friday, which would allow him ample at-bats to get back into form—until the leg issue cropped up.

“I feel like you deal with this every spring training,” Judge remarked on Wednesday. “It usually happens at the start of the season when you ramp up, and things pop up. Thankfully, during my recovery, nothing serious nagged at us. So, hopefully, it’s just a minor thing, and I’ll be back out there soon.”