Aaron Judge's abdominal injury has him 'pretty sure' he'll be ready for Yankees' Opening Day

DUNEDIN, Fla. – Aaron Boone said on Tuesday that Gerrit Cole isn’t likely to be ready for the season-opener March 28 in Houston.

Aaron Judge’s availability for that game suddenly is in question as well.

The outfielder, speaking in the home clubhouse in Tampa early Tuesday morning, disclosed he had been sent for an MRI Monday, the same day Cole underwent one because of discomfort in his right elbow.

Judge's MRI, which came back clean, was taken because of an abdominal muscle injury that will keep him from swinging a bat until the end of the week, at least.

And, though Judge said the MRI showed “nothing” and that he was “pretty sure” he would be ready for Opening Day, abdominal issues can sometimes linger and don’t always clear up quickly, especially for hitters because of the constant stress on the area caused by swinging a bat.

Judge was pulled Sunday after two at-bats – he struck out twice – while the other regulars in the lineup had three trips to the plate.

Boone said on Sunday that Judge batting twice was part of an agreed-up plan all along, but there were signs of possible trouble on the horizon Monday when the Yankees captain wasn’t in either of the club’s split-squad lineups – in Clearwater against the Phillies or at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa against the Orioles.

In Clearwater Monday morning Boone disclosed Judge was having issues with his “core” and was experiencing overall body soreness.

But Boone, who in general volunteers injury information about as often as he praises the work of home plate umpires, left out the part about Judge getting sent for an MRI, something the manager said he didn’t find out until later in the day Monday.

Boone said in Clearwater Monday “not really” when asked if he had any concerns, adding that he fully expected Judge to be in the lineup and playing centerfield Wednesday afternoon against the Red Sox at Steinbrenner Field.

“Nothing other than saying, ‘Why are we rushing to get [him] in there mid-week if we’re not totally ready?’” Boone said, asked what had changed.

He added later: “I think they did the MRI as a precaution to make sure nothing’s in there and, sure enough, there wasn’t. I didn’t even know until I was driving home [Monday] that he had an MRI. [We] got good news on that front.”

Boone speculated the cause of the discomfort was “probably the wear and tear of swinging every day,” something Judge, who takes little time off in the winter when it comes to preparation and conditioning, mentioned as well.

“I think just from swinging, from November all the way ’til now, every single day, put some wear and tear on it,” Judge said. “Especially coming back after a toe injury, when your mechanics are a little messed up and you’re working on some things. So I think it’s just part of being a baseball player every day. I’d rather take a couple days now, when these games don’t matter, than miss some games in April or May.”

With David Lennon in Tampa