NEW YORK – Yankees manager Aaron Boone was confident that he would tell local reporters the seriousness of Aaron Judge’s injuries after his team edged the Guardians, 2-1, on Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Judge missed the last three games because of discomfort in his right shoulder and upper rib area.
Unfortunately, Boone didn’t have anything to report because a vascular surgeon from Texas, Dr. Gregory Pearl, is viewing Judge’s X-rays and CT Scans.
The Yankees are hoping to rule out Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, an injury that affects the neck and shoulder on most pitchers. Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler has previously missed a significant amount of time because of the injury. He is currently back on the field and producing for Philadelphia.
“It Sucks Not To Have Him Here’: Aaron Judge Having Shoulder & Rib Issues That Could Land Him On DL
But, according to MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince, position players can develop TOS. Castrovince pointed out that first baseman Jared Walsh and catcher Mike Zunino had similar injuries and were never the same after having surgery.
“Nothing on Aaron,” Boone said about Judge. “We (are waiting for) the specialist to weigh in. That’s where we are at. There are a lot of smart people in a specialized area and several states away. We just have to be patient.”
According to Boone, Judge received additional imaging on Wednesday. Boone said swelling in Judge’s rib area has prevented doctors from identifying the source of Judge’s problems.
Judge felt the discomfort in his shoulder and upper rib area while taking swings against the A’s this past weekend in West Sacramento and has missed the three games series against the Guardians at Yankee Stadium. During that three-game series against the Athletics, Judge went 2-for-12 (.167) with four RBIs.
Judge is in his 10th full season with the Yankees and continues to be their best player. Entering Friday’s action against the Red Sox, Judge has a slash line of .248/.533/.907 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs. Boone said he didn’t know who would get most of the reps during Judge’s absence. As the skipper put it, “It’s day to day.” During the first two games against the Guardians, José Caballero received the starts in right field, while Max Schuemann played nine innings on Thursday.
“(Judge is) the best hitter in the sport and, obviously, what he means to us,” Boone said. “There is a void there, but we also have really good players that can pick it up. I loved the way we played the game today, (but) you are not replacing Aaron Judge.”
Judge has yet to talk to the media since the Yankees returned to New York, but he is in good spirits, according to teammate Jazz Chisholm.
“He has been good, staying positive,” Chisholm said. “I’ve never seen him negative, ever, to be honest with you. He is like the same guy. Honestly, he is handling it really well.”
