Aaron Judge may or may not play Saturday, but Yankees captain is aiming Opening Day
LAKELAND, Fla. – Over at One Steinbrenner Drive, Thursday afternoon, slugger Aaron Judge wasn’t completely endorsing the idea of returning to Yankees game action on Saturday.
“That's the plan but honestly, like I've told you guys before, we're in no rush,’’ the Yankees captain told reporters at Tampa, including the Associated Press, while the team played at TigerTown.
If this were the regular season, Judge said, “I'm definitely in there right now, but our goal is March 28,’’ the Yankees’ season opener at Houston.
Judge hasn’t played since last Sunday’s exhibition game due to core soreness. An MRI Monday on his abdominal area came back clean, but Judge hasn’t taken on-field batting practice since Sunday.
On Thursday, Judge did some light outfield work. As for a resumption of hitting, Judge said he’d take that “day by day.’’
Boone repeated again Thursday that Judge was penciled in to start Saturday in center field against the Toronto Blue Jays in a Grapefruit League afternoon game at Steinbrenner Field.
The further plan was for Judge to rest Sunday and play again Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies.
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Judge is 2-for-14 with no homers in exhibition play this spring. Speaking with reporters Thursday at Tampa, Judge indicated he could be ready with limited spring at-bats.
“That's what comes with playing this game and understanding that these games in the spring don't matter.
“What matters is being there in the regular season,’’ said Judge, who missed 42 team games after banging his right big toe into the Dodger Stadium wall last summer, suffering ligament tears.
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“So, this is about making sure we're ready to go when those games count,’’ said Judge. “It’s better to miss the time now, than July, August when it really matters. So, it's just about us being smart doing our thing and we'll be out there when we need to.
“Right now our main goal is March 28."
Judge repeated earlier this spring that his injured toe would require monitoring and maintenance, but he’s been increasing his running lately because the toe “feels great.’’
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Aaron Judge aiming for Yankees Opening Day despite ab injury
