Aaron Judge undergoes MRI on his abs and gets results. What's next for Yankees' captain?
TAMPA, Fla. – As if the weight of Gerrit Cole’s pending elbow news wasn’t enough for Yankees Universe to bear, it turns out he wasn’t the only pinstriped superstar having an MRI on Monday.
Dealing with core soreness, Aaron Judge was sent for an MRI on his abs, which came back clean.
Speaking Tuesday morning at Yankees spring training, Judge said he told manager Aaron Boone recently that he was “a little banged up’’ and needed “a couple of days’’ of rest.
“Hopefully, I’ll get back out there soon,’’ Judge said at Steinbrenner Field.
Judge could resume swinging a bat "maybe later this week, I'm not too sure. There's no real rush. The most important day is the 28th,'' said the Yankees captain, referencing Opening Day.
Originally, Judge was on Tuesday’s batting practice list at Tampa, with the Yankees playing a 1 p.m. exhibition game at Dunedin against the Blue Jays.
Instead on, “I’ll do some defensive (outfield) stuff, but probably no swings,’’ said Judge, who was later seen playing catch on a back field and signing autographs for fans witnessing the workout.
Boone had previously said he planned to start Judge in center field for Wednesday afternoon's exhibition game against the Red Sox, but Judge basically nixed that idea.
“I’d rather take a couple games (off) now when these games don’t matter than miss some games in April and May,’’ said Judge, who last played on Sunday and is 2-for-14 with no homers in exhibition play.
He was 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in that game against the Braves, taking only two at-bats while most of the regulars had three at-bats.
Both Boone and Judge said it was planned to have Judge split the game with center fielder Trent Grisham, though Judge said Tuesday he’s felt this core issue for about a week.
Judge called it “something slight,’’ so “instead of pushing through it… let’s take some time and make sure we’re right.’’
On Monday, Boone described Judge’s condition as “a little mid-spring kind of beat up, just with all the work they do in the cage and back fields and stuff.’’
Judge suggested that the cumulative winter’s worth of swinging was a root cause of his discomfort.
“I think just from swinging from November all the way ‘til now, every single day, kind of put some wear and tear on it,’’ said Judge. “Especially coming back from a toe injury, when your mechanics are a little messed up and you’re working on some things.
“It’s just part of being a baseball player.’’
Judge missed 42 team games last summer due to ligament tears of his right big toe, suffered when he crashed into the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium.
A month ago, when the Yankees reported to camp, Judge restated that some degree of maintenance on his injured toe will probably continue for the remainder of his career.
As for his current core issue, "I’m not too worried about it,'' said Judge, having taken a proactive approach.
"That’s what comes with old age, is being a little smarter about taking care of your body,'' said Judge, who turns 32 next month.
Pressed about Opening Day in just over two weeks, Judge said he was "pretty sure'' of being ready to go. "I don't want to speculate or talk about anything that hasn't come yet.''
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Aaron Judge undergoes MRI on his abs: What's next for Yankees captain?
