Aaron Judge dealing with sore toe, Nestor Cortes likely heading to IL
LOS ANGELES — It turned out Aaron Boone was right to think “oh no” when Aaron Judge barged through the Yankees’ bullpen at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, as the slugger banged his foot “pretty hard” on his eighth-inning door-busting catch.
Boone specified that Judge hit his big toe on the concrete step that borders the bullpen and warning track in right field. Judge was “pretty sore” on Saturday night and Sunday morning, per Boone, but was moving around better Sunday afternoon.
“I don’t know,” Boone said when asked if Judge will need a stint on the injured list. The manager then said, “Not at this point, but we’ll see how he is” over the next few days.
“We’ll see,” Boone said when asked if Judge could come off the bench Sunday against the Dodgers.
Judge said he felt fine after Saturday’s win, and he even joked, “I think the fence got most of it” after leaving a noticeable dent behind. But Boone has come to expect such assessments from the Yankees’ captain.
“That’s Judgey,” Boone said. “He always feels like he’s fine even when he is banged up. So we’ll see how the next couple of days unfold.”
Boone added that Judge fought a bit to be in Sunday’s lineup but realized it was best to be cautious.
The skipper initially feared that Judge hurt his upper body on his highlight-reel catch, but it was the step that did him in. Boone compared it to “banging your toe in the middle of the night,” and he hopes the Dodgers and Major League Baseball look into making that gate area safer.
“I think all these places try to do their best to make things as safe as possible, but to me, it seems like that cement at the bottom could be padded up a little bit,” Boone said. “So hopefully it is something that they at least look into and consider, which I’m sure they will.”
NESTOR CORTES IS ACHING
When the Yankees sent out game notes on Sunday, Nestor Cortes’ name was missing from the list of probable pitchers for the upcoming White Sox series in the Bronx.
Shoulder recovery has been an issue for the lefty between starts, according to Boone, and he will “probably” have to go on the injured list. The Yankees will know more when Cortes gets tests, including an MRI, on Monday and/or Tuesday, but Boone is hoping Cortes only has to miss a start or two.
“Don’t think it’s anything too major, but just the last couple times recovering in between, he’s just kind of had that achiness.
“We’ll see more when we get back.”
Boone added that it’s “our sense” that Cortes won’t need surgery, but the skipper didn’t want to get ahead of himself prior to testing.
The manager also said that he has an idea as to who will fill in for Cortes, but no decision has been made. Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez are two starters on the 40-man who have pitched in the majors this season and could line up for Wednesday’s game against Chicago. The Yankees listed TBD for that day’s starting pitcher.
A first-time All-Star in 2022, Cortes has had some issues this season, especially toward the end of his starts. The 28-year-old, who pitched in a career-high 158.1 MLB innings last year, owns a 5.16 ERA this season.
RODON AND WEBER
The plan is for Carlos Rodon to face live hitters on Wednesday, per Boone.
Ryan Weber, meanwhile, will meet with Dr. Christopher Ahmad following an MRI. The Yankees placed Weber on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain on Saturday.
