Yankees slugger Aaron Judge out Wednesday with oblique soreness

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge told reporters in late February that he altered his offseason activities in an attempt to avoid injury setbacks that impacted him over each of the past several seasons. 

The outfielder, who turns 29 years old later this month, may have already suffered a setback. 

Per the official MLB website, New York manager Aaron Boone confirmed that Judge will sit for Wednesday's series finale versus the Baltimore Orioles due to "general soreness in the side" of his oblique. 

"With the off-day tomorrow, I don’t want to take any chances," Boone added. 

The Yankees don't play Thursday ahead of Friday's series opener at the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Judge homered in both wins over Baltimore this week but appeared to be running slower than usual during trips around the basepaths on Tuesday.

"I think it’s just been the general wear and tear of the first several days," Boone said of Judge's discomfort. 

While Boone told reporters he does not expect Judge to require any tests, one can't blame Yankees fans for having concerns. Judge was limited to just 28 regular-season games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign and, according to Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media, has played in 242 of 384 regular-season contests since he appeared in 155 games in 2017.