Yankees slot Aaron Judge in the DH spot again as slugger continues to rebound from IL stint
Aaron Judge of the Yankees bats in the bottom of the third inning of game against the Rays at Yankee Stadium on Monday. Credit: Errol Anderson
Anyone who saw Aaron Judge labor as he ran from first to third base in the sixth inning on Monday night on his sore big toe probably felt a little pain themselves.
But Judge was back in the lineup as the designated hitter on Tuesday as the Yankees hosted the Rays. Judge has played one game in rightfield – his second game back from the injured list, on Saturday – and has been the DH in his three other games.
“He’s not his normal self,” manager Aaron Boone admitted on Tuesday. “I saw the first-to-third where there’s a little hitch in his gait. But I think we expected that and [that's] why we’re going to be cautious with [playing him] a lot of days in a row initially, and using the DH, obviously. But it’s nothing that’s alarming to this point. We knew we were dealing with not 100 percent and hopefully, as we go, that continues to get better.
“He’s dealing with some soreness and stuff, but good enough to play. That’s why it continues to be a fluid situation. Try and monitor it and deal with it the best we can and hopefully, through it, he continues to get better. I mean, that’s the hope -- that there’s continued healing that goes along with it.”
Judge was not available before the game to give his thoughts on how he feels. It’s possible he was running gingerly to avoid being in pain rather than because he was in pain.
“It’s probably a little bit of both,” Boone said. “Being careful a little bit, but also making sure he doesn’t get into that excruciating level of pain. He talked about it. He’s going to have to play through a little bit and knows there’s going to be some soreness that goes with that. And we’re monitoring that closely.”
IKF glad to stay
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a free agent at season’s end, had to be relieved he was not traded on Tuesday based on comments he made about three hours before the 6 p.m. deadline.
“It’s my favorite team growing up,” he said. “I love it here. I really enjoy living in the city. I just love everything about this place. So it'd be tough, but hopefully it doesn't happen.”
It didn’t, as the only trades the Yankees made were to acquire righthander Keynan Middleton from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league righthander Juan Carela and to pick up righthander Spencer Howard from Texas for cash.
The Yankees did not add a much-needed bat and did not trade anyone off the big-league roster.
“We really haven't helped our case,” Kiner-Falefa said. “We’ve tried to play better, but we haven't, and we’ve put the front office in a weird spot. So whatever they do, it's on us, really.”
Kiner-Falefa was in the lineup as the sixth hitter and leftfielder. He has been traded twice before – before the 2022 season from Texas to Minnesota and then the very next day from Minnesota to the Yankees.
Of getting traded, Kiner-Falefa said the toughest part is “just moving, getting your cars to the new place, packing your bags. I’ve got a dog, too, and traveling with her, how am I going to get her there? That's where the anxiety comes from.”
Extra bases
Nestor Cortes is scheduled to make a rehab start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, but Boone said the Yankees might change that plan without elaborating. . . Boone said struggling Luis Severino is “lined up to [start] Friday,” but added: “We’ll see. We’re continuing to talk through it.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
