Yankees Captain Aaron Judge To Go On Injured List With Flexor Strain

NEW YORK — Yankees skipper Aaron Judge, his teammates and New York’s instrumentality guidelines exhaled Saturday erstwhile nan two-time AL MVP learned he has a flexor strain successful his correct elbow but nary acute harm to his ulnar collateral ligament that mightiness origin a semipermanent layoff.

Judge was sent for an MRI connected Saturday and missed conscionable his 2nd crippled this season, a 9-4 nonaccomplishment to Philadelphia. He had a platelet-rich plasma injection and will spell connected nan injured database but hopes to return to action successful 10 days to 2 weeks, initially arsenic a designated hitter.

“You ne'er want to spell successful nan tube. It’s ne'er fun. You don’t cognize what’s going to show up,” Judge said. “That’s why I benignant of pushed disconnected a batch of that imaging and worldly for illustration that because if I don’t what’s going on, it can’t wounded you, I guess.”

Judge leads nan awesome leagues pinch a .342 batting mean and 1.160 OPS. He has 37 location runs and 85 RBIs for a New York squad that opened a seven-game AL East lead by precocious May but dropped a season-high 6 1/2 games backmost of first-place Toronto connected Saturday.

“All successful all, we sewage bully news today,” Yankees head Aaron Boone said. “I deliberation each of america benignant of feared nan worst.”

Knowing really reliable Judge is, Boone had been worried. Judge told Boone of throwing trouble during Friday’s 12-5 nonaccomplishment to Philadelphia.

“I couldn’t propulsion past 60 feet,” Judge said. “We’re going up against a Phillies team, they tin deed nan shot complete nan park. I conscionable didn’t want to put our pitchers successful jeopardy, conscionable not beryllium capable to travel up and make a play for them.”

Boone received results of nan scan conscionable earlier nan commencement of Saturday’s game, erstwhile squad officials were getting immoderate much evaluation. Because symptom impacted his throwing but not hitting, Judge fought going connected nan IL.

“With that strain, past if you spell retired location and play pinch it you put nan UCL successful jeopardy, truthful we sewage to get that healed up,” Boone said.

Boone said it was excessively soon to find whether highly regarded imaginable Spencer Jones will beryllium brought up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Judge astir apt won’t propulsion for 10 to 14 days, past will request a fewer days throwing to build backmost limb spot earlier returning to nan outfield.

“I really was reluctant astir going connected immoderate IL aliases thing for illustration that,” Judge said. “I was like, ‘If I tin hit, fto maine hit.’” he said. “I’ll commencement DHing, I think, erstwhile this 10th time is up.”

Giancarlo Stanton, nan team’s superior DH, will commencement to activity retired successful nan outfield adjacent week successful bid to thief capable successful for Judge.

“It’s ne'er a alleviation knowing he’s going to beryllium retired astatine all, but for what it is, I conjecture you could opportunity champion case,” Stanton said.

Judge said he first felt nan symptom successful nan sixth inning of Tuesday’s crippled astatine Toronto, erstwhile George Springer singled to correct successful nan sixth inning disconnected Jonathan Loáisiga. Judge made a beardown propulsion location successful an effort to forestall nan tying run, but Davis Schneider conscionable hit catcher Austin Wells’ tag.

An inning later, Judge winced aft catching Alejandro Kirk’s seventh-inning alert successful nan right-field area and throwing to 2nd baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. arsenic Dante Bichette tagged up and went from 2nd to third. Judge was seen by a YES Network camera clenching his correct manus successful a fist.

“He’s astir arsenic reliable arsenic they travel and for him to moreover show immoderate vulnerability aliases symptom aliases whatever,” Boone said. “I knew we had an rumor probably. And truthful immoderate clip you tin fearfulness nan worst pinch that, but that’s why you hold to react, though. ... We sewage nan MRI and sewage a clear test pinch it.”