The Yankees let a few days pass before making a decision, but the team placed Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list prior to Monday’s game against the Guardians.
Judge suffered a right hip strain when he tried stealing third in a game against the Twins on April 26. His right hand was the initial concern, but the outfielder remained in the game and started against the Rangers the following day. Judge exited that game due to his hip after two at-bats, though.
Judge’s IL stint is retroactive to April 28. Franchy Cordero took his spot on the active roster.
The Yankees had yet to make a determination on Judge by the time Aaron Boone spoke to reporters Monday. With a weekend series coming up against the first-place Rays in Tampa, the Yankees would have obviously liked to have the reigning MVP active. But the club ultimately decided it was best to sideline Judge.
“We don’t want to put him in a position to where he goes out and compromises somewhere else and the injury becomes something else or worse,” Boone said before Judge’s IL stint was announced. “That’s the biggest thing. He’s feeling pretty good and his recovery has been good each and every day. And the injury is minor, but it’s like, we’re playing the long game here. But at the same time, we don’t want to just say, ‘Oh, just you’re on the IL no matter [what].’ We don’t want to play that either. We want to make an honest assessment of where we think he’s at it.
“I think Aaron’s also being realistic, too. He understands what’s at stake and that it’s important, so we’re having real conversations.”
Judge’s absence comes at a time when the Yankees are struggling to score runs. They entered Monday 23rd in the majors in wRC+, and they scored fewer than four runs in 14 of their last 17 games. That stretch included a 15-2 beatdown in Texas on Sunday.
Judge lands on the IL with a .261/.352/.511 slash line, six home runs, 14 RBI and a 136 wRC+.
MORE INJURY UPDATES
Judge wasn’t the only Yankee to receive an injury update on Monday.
Per Boone, Jonathan Loaisiga met with Dr. Christopher Ahmad on Monday and will undergo a scope to remove a bone spur on Tuesday. That will shut Loaisiga down for 3-6 weeks after the righty initially went on the IL with elbow inflammation. Boone said the reliever, one of the Yanks’ best, could return in August or September.
Lou Trivino (right elbow sprain) spent Monday in Los Angeles, where the reliever received a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache, according to Boone. The Yankees recently placed the right-hander on the 60-day IL following a setback.
Boone added that Josh Donaldson (hamstring) took groundballs with limited movement Monday. He’s hit as well, but Boone didn’t have a timeline for the third baseman.
In more positive injury news, Boone said the Yankees could activate Harrison Bader (oblique) before this weekend’s series against the Rays. The team could make that decision in the next 24 hours.
Luis Severino (lat) could be back in the majors in 2-3 weeks, depending on how long it takes for him to build up to a 70-80-pitch range, per Boone. The skipper anticipated the right-hander making three or four rehab starts, with the first coming Wednesday in Tampa. Severino would go to Triple-A or Double-A from there.
Boone also said that Frankie Montas (shoulder surgery) is getting close to starting a throwing program. Tommy John recipients Scott Effross and Luis Gil already have, though Boone noted that Effross is in the “early days” of his rehab.
Finally, Jake Bauers said that the swelling in his knee has gone down.
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
Oswaldo Cabrera hasn’t gotten off to a hot start, hitting .200/.233/.282 with one home run, seven RBI, four walks (not including an intentional free pass) and 19 strikeouts over 91 plate appearances entering Monday’s game. His 4.4 BB% is half of what it was last season, though his K% has dropped from 25.7 to 20.9. Cabrera’s HardHit% has also improved, but his 47.7% groundball rate and 12.3% line drive rate have moved in the wrong directions.
Cabrera is also chasing pitches outside of the zone 37.2% of the time, and he’s swinging at 54% of pitches overall. When asked if he’s chasing too much, the versatile fielder said, “100 precent.”
Cabrera told the Daily News he’s been working with coaches and in the cages to correct these trends. His focus is on pitch recognition and developing plans for each at-bat.
“I’m working on my strike zone discipline,” Cabrera said. “I feel that I’m not swinging at bad pitches, but at the same time, I’m swinging too much.”
QUICK CHAT
Boone said he “briefly” talked to the Yankees after Sunday’s blowout loss to the Rangers.
He discussed the team’s tough stretch and reminded players to stay present and focused on the next game, not the standings. The Yankees and Red Sox were tied for last place in the American League East at the start of play Monday.