Aaron Judge 'pretty sure' he'll be ready for Opening Day after abdominal MRI, but Gerrit Cole might not be so lucky
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge made an unexpected announcement Tuesday: He underwent an MRI the day before after experiencing abdominal discomfort and won't be swinging a bat for the rest of the week.
Aaron Judge says he underwent an MRI on his abs yesterday. He said that he will not swing a bat again until later in the week. Said “there’s no real need to push it,” and his goal is to play Opening Day.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 12, 2024
Judge was given the day off Monday while the Yankees faced the Philadelphia Phillies, but manager Aaron Boone hadn't said anything about Judge having any specific issue. In fact, Boone went out of his way to characterize Judge as being "mid-spring beat up," specifically from the work he has done during spring.
That's not quite how Judge put it.
“I think just from swinging from November all the way until now, every single day, it put some wear and tear on it,” Judge said via Brian Hoch of MLB.com. “Especially coming back after a [right] toe injury when your mechanics are a little messed up and you’re just working on some things."
No one can blame Yankees fans for hearing alarm bells right now. Judge has had difficulty staying healthy the past several seasons, dealing with injuries to his oblique and toe that cost him quite a bit of time. That he's already dealing with wear and tear doesn't seem like a good omen for the upcoming season, and Boone's apparent lie by omission only makes it seem like the Yankees were trying to hide it.
Judge doesn't seem terribly concerned, though, chalking it up to "being a baseball player every day." He said the tests on his abs came back fine, noting specifically that it wasn't his oblique, and he is "pretty sure" he'll be ready for Opening Day.
Aaron Judge was asked if he is confident that he will be ready for Opening Day:
"I'm pretty sure. I don't want to speculate or talk about anything that hasn't come yet. The most important thing is taking some time now and be back out there soon."— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 12, 2024
"Pretty sure" isn't a phrase that elicits a lot of confidence, but Judge being banged up before Opening Day isn't the Yankees' only problem. Their ace, Gerrit Cole, underwent an MRI on his right elbow Monday after he had trouble bouncing back between spring starts. There was no update on Cole's status Tuesday morning, but Boone said something that felt extremely ominous.
Aaron Boone said the Yankees have “started to have those conversations” about who would start Opening Day in place of Gerrit Cole.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 12, 2024
In contrast to Judge, Cole has been healthy since he signed with the Yankees in 2020. He has been a workhorse, making his starts every five days like clockwork and putting up numbers that range from "very good" all the way to "holy cow." Losing Cole for more than a few weeks would mean trouble for the Yankees, something their captain is fully aware of.
“I know he’s not bouncing back the way he is, but that guy’s a perfectionist," Judge said about Cole. "I’m hoping for the best news, even if it’s him being out a couple of weeks. I’ll take that over anything worse. We’re all praying for the best.”
