Yankees slugger Aaron Judge misses second straight game with soreness
New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge won't be returning to the lineup for the Friday afternoon game at the Tampa Bay Rays.
Manager Aaron Boone confirmed that he's holding Judge out for a second straight contest because of what was originally described as "general soreness in the side" of his oblique.
"[He is] dealing with some [side] soreness that kind of lingered a little bit. We have not defined it as anything specific." Boone told reporters, according to Marly Rivera of ESPN.
While Judge took batting practice, Boone repeatedly said the Yankees care more about the "long game" as it pertains to Judge's health.
Per Mark La Monica of Newsday, Boone could consider using Judge as a pinch hitter and isn't yet ready to rule the 28-year-old out through the weekend.
While it likely behooves all involved to exercise caution at this early stage of the grueling MLB season, pessimistic Yankees fans can't be blamed for believing they've seen this story play out multiple times over the past several years. As WFAN's Ryan Chichester noted, Judge has previously missed portions of campaigns because of oblique setbacks, and injuries limited the two-time All-Star to only 28 of a potential 60 regular-season games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
Judge homered in his last two games before this latest absence.
More must-reads: