ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Six swings. Two misses. One foul ball. One hit — a 112.8-mph single. A groundout. Two strikeouts.
Aaron Judge stayed in the game, didn’t appear to have any physical problems and Yankees manager Aaron Boone was satisfied by what he saw from the slugger in a 4-0 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field on Saturday.
“It seemed like he did fine,” Boone told reporters.
Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers
Boone added that he hadn’t yet spoken to Judge but “I would expect to play him” if Judge were OK.
Judge wasn’t made available to speak to reporters. He hasn’t spoken publicly since Tuesday, before there was any sign something could be wrong with him.
He missed games Wednesday and Friday, dealing with what Boone described as left side soreness. Before the game Saturday, Boone said Judge told him he was healthy enough to play. Boone said he believed the soreness might have been a result of Judge overworking himself.
“I think it was a gradual kind of workload, probably swinging a lot, doing a lot of cage work that led to some soreness that developed over time,” Boone told reporters before the game. “But I don’t think any one thing” led to the injury.
At the time, the Yankees had played just seven games.
Now, they’re 3-5, have lost two of their first three series. They hope Sunday’s starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery can help them from getting swept.
Here are six more Yankees observations:
The roster move: The Yankees demoted starting pitcher Domingo German to the alternate site on Saturday. German threw 79 pitches in four innings, giving up four runs in the loss. The Yankees need another bullpen arm and they want to keep German stretched out to start. Due to upcoming off days, the Yankees can skip the fifth starter spot. It’s more than likely the team will add right-hander Albert Abreu from the taxi squad on Sunday. The Yankees’ other taxi squad pitcher, Mike King, hasn’t been demoted for 10 days, and thus can’t be recalled unless another player gets put on the injured list. (If the Yankees choose not to skip the fifth starter, King could be recalled and take the turn.)
The Jay Bruce situation: Bruce went hitless in three at-bats with two strikeouts to drop his average to .111 with a .472 OPS. He also has had a handful of shaky moments in the field. The Yankees likely will give him off Sunday and move DJ LeMahieu to first base and start Rougned Odor. But the Yankees will continue to give Bruce a look. Luke Voit isn’t expected back for another couple of weeks and Judge’s injury mystery re-emphasized the potential fragility of the outfield.
Gio Urshela’s side effects: The third baseman missed Friday’s loss as he dealt with effects from a COVID-19 vaccine. He said he felt OK when he arrived at the stadium but got progressively worse. He added that several of his teammates felt similarly. By the way, Urshela said that he doesn’t think he’ll feel out of place playing shortstop since he spends so much time in the area due to defensive shifts. Urshela has become the team’s primary backup shortstop with Tyler Wade sent to the alternate site.
Gleyber Torres’ bat: Torres has received deserved criticism for his play at shortstop but it’s his bat that’s been an issue of late. He has one hit in his last eight at-bats with no walks. He has one extra-base hit, a double, and no multi-hit games this year. He did have a hit in each of his first seven games, though.
Are the Yankees better than the Rays? Far too early to say, but Boone was asked the question anyway. His reply? “Well, we’ll see. They’re one of the teams that we’ve got to compete with in this division. They’re obviously a good team and the defending American League champions. We have expectations of being that and more this year. They’re one of the teams we’ve got to go through. We’ve got a long way to go from here. I think it’s silly to answer that question right now. We’ve got to go out and prove it.”
The vaccine: Urshela said the Yankees received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two shots.
Get Yankees text messages: Cut through the clutter of social media and text during games with beat writers and columnists. Plus, exclusive news and analysis every day. Sign up now.
Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.
Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
