As Aaron Judge is set to have further tests, the Yankees hold their breath
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge makes a play on a fly ball during drills at spring training in Tampa, Fla. on Feb. 19. Credit: Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr.
LAKELAND, Fla. — Lately, when Yankees players have undergone additional testing, the news generally hasn’t turned out to be the best.
The organization will be holding its breath Monday when Aaron Judge, battling what has been called a mysterious soreness in his right shoulder/pec area, will be sent for more tests.
Initial testing done on Friday, which included an MRI, came back negative.
“It’s frustrating that we haven’t pinpointed yet exactly what it is and what’s caused the discomfort, that’s the frustrating part,” Aaron Boone said Sunday before the Yankees’ 10-4 loss to the Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. “But I would say I feel a little more optimistic today on where we’re at [compared to Saturday].”
Based on what?
“Just how I’m feeling today,” Boone said without elaborating.
That sentiment likely did little to quell the fears of Yankees fans, who in 2019 quickly grew conditioned to expect the worst when it comes to these things. A record 30 players ended up on the injured list, many of whom had ailments that initially were downplayed.
And 2020 hasn’t gotten off to an appreciably better start.
Luis Severino’s barking right forearm is only the latest example. Severino, of course, was sent to New York on Feb. 23 for additional testing, had a dye-cast MRI the next day that showed an ulnar collateral ligament tear and had Tommy John surgery three days after that. He’s out for the season.
And, though not thought to be nearly as serious, outfielder/DH Giancarlo Stanton suffered a Grade 1 right calf strain on Wednesday.
At the moment, there is plenty of mystery surrounding Judge, who for the second straight day was not spotted outside doing work of any kind.
When camp began for position players Feb. 18, he did not take batting practice outdoors, the result, the Yankees said, of mild right shoulder discomfort.
Judge had been in Tampa for weeks, arriving in the latter part of January. He began going through full on-field workouts, which included batting practice, at the club’s minor-league complex.
But at an undefined date in early February, Judge began feeling the soreness and was shut down from taking BP.
On Saturday, Boone, for the first time, described the discomfort as being in the “pec area.” He described it the same way Sunday while discussing what Judge experienced Friday as the intensity of his indoor BP was increased.
“It’s a similar feeling,” Boone said of what caused Judge to be shut down in early February. “He was down here a couple of weeks early working, kind of going through everything, and he was getting that discomfort, and that’s where [the area] it returned when he really started to ramp it up the last few days.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Judge and Stanton, Boone said he’s not concerned about organizational depth. He mentioned Clint Frazier, Mike Tauchman, Rosell Herrera and even Miguel Andujar as possible options to fill in around Brett Gardner, who will start in center.
Still, expect the Yankees to pay close attention to other camps this month to see which outfielders might become available when final roster cuts are made at the end of spring training.
“We’ll be equipped to handle whatever’s thrown at us or whatever we’ve got to deal with,” Boone said. “But that said, I’m also very optimistic on both Aaron and Giancarlo of not being long-term things. I feel good about the prognosis of things, even though in the immediate, because of what happened with what went on last year, the flames get a little bit fanned, I believe.”
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
