New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge left Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Royals with an oblique injury setting up the team for a tough stretch over the next few weeks.
New York Yankees OF Aaron Judge is now waiting on an MRI this weekend after injuring his oblique while taking a swing. Manager Aaron Boone said he will likely head to the injured list.
According to Boone, infielder Thairo Estrada will take Judge’s roster spot on Sunday.
The Yankees could win a pennant just with their players on the Injured List, and Judge is the latest victim.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Luis Severino, Didi Gregorius, Troy Tulowitzki, Miguel Andujar, Gary Sanchez, and Giancarlo Stanton are just a handful of the names on the Yankees IL at the moment.
New York has been forced to call up minor leaguers, and they have surprisingly performed well. Mike Ford and Mike Tauchman are the two that have stood out although they aren’t big names.
Outfielder Clint Frazier has also shown that he is major league ready, but won’t be on the roster once Judge, Stanton, and Aaron Hicks come back.
The biggest wrench in their plans was this Judge injury. We all know he can match up with the best power hitters in the league, but he has been solid defensively this season, so it will be a handful for Aaron Boone to manage the outfield right now.
Brett Gardner will be playing every day in left field with Clint Frazier playing the right field while Tauchman will play center field in place of Aaron Hicks.
After Aaron Judge’s injury, there are currently only three outfielders on the roster, so you can expect a move to be made to get a fourth outfielder on the bench.
The only good news though is catcher Gary Sanchez could return to the lineup as early as next week, which would make it a whole lot easier for Aaron Boone to find some offense.
It is going to be a tricky few weeks for the injury-riddled New York Yankees, especially when they are about to begin a three-city West Coast trip starting in Anaheim against Mike Trout and the Angels.