Yankees' Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman says they're not concerned about Aaron Judge

TAMPA, Fla. — Still no Aaron Judge in the lineup, but still no concern from the Yankees.

Judge, pulled from last Sunday’s game after two at-bats because of abdominal discomfort, began swinging in the cage Friday with tee-and-toss drills. He repeated that routine Saturday and threw inside as well.

After the Yankees' 10-9 victory over the Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon, Aaron Boone declined to “speculate” on when Judge, who had an MRI on the affected area Monday that came back clean, might play in a game.

But Boone stressed, as he has all week, that he has zero concern about Judge being ready for the season opener on March 28 against the Astros in Houston.

General manager Brian Cashman, asked about having any concern, responded with a quick “no.”

He later said of the abdominal injury: “Just something that popped up. Because it happens to be March, we can just give it time to eradicate it.”

Judge, who missed 10 games early last season with a right hip strain and then 42 games with a right big toe sprain, has seen limited action in spring training, going 2-for-14 in six games. But veteran hitters generally need about half the at-bats they get — spring training lasts six weeks only so starting pitchers can get stretched out — to be regular season-ready.  Boone said Friday that he has no worries about Judge having “plenty of runway” to be where he needs to be with his timing by March 28.

“I react, in his particular case, to what the doctors tell me,” Cashman said. “And they’re like, ‘He’s good. Just give him some time and get him going again.’ So as far as I’m concerned, that’s in the rearview mirror. Even though he hasn’t played yet, that’s more of a timing issue rather than a concern issue. And he’s a pro. He knows how to get ready and knock the rust off, all that stuff. I’m not worried about it.”

Gil in competition for rotation spot

Righthander Luis Gil came into camp hoping to put himself on the radar for a starting opportunity at the inevitable point of the season when there’s an opening in the rotation, usually because of injury. With Gerrit Cole set to miss the first two months of the season, the fifth starter job is available, and Gil, though probably not the favorite, has put himself squarely in the competition.

Gil, 25, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2022, has a 2.31 ERA in four outings (two starts). He was “maybe as electric as I’ve ever seen a pitcher in a spring training game,” one veteran American League scout said of Gil’s March 11 start in Clearwater against the Phillies, when he struck out eight and allowed a hit and a walk in 3 2/3 innings. He  followed that up Saturday with a strong outing against the Blue Jays, allowing one hit and a walk in 3 1/3 innings in which he struck out four.

“He was obviously working on his changeup,” a National League scout said, “but he was good again. Really good.”

Righty Will Warren, the club’s top pitching prospect and very much in the competition (Clayton Beeter and Luke Weaver also are among the candidates), has had a solid spring training and will get another chance to impress Sunday against the Red Sox in Fort Myers.

Volpe still raking

Anthony Volpe, who spent the offseason working on flattening his swing to cut down on his strikeouts from a year ago, went 4-for-4 Saturday to improve to 14-for-38 (.368). As another rival AL scout said of Volpe recently: "This is the guy I saw [in the minors]. I didn't recognize the guy at the plate last year, trying to pull the ball 450 feet. Seems like he's getting back to who he is."

Prospect park

Spencer Jones, a top outfield prospect who played well in limited exhibition action with the Yankees before being sent to minor-league camp a little over a week ago, hit a long two-run home run to right-center in the first inning of the Yankees’ 9-1 win over the Blue Jays in Saturday’s Spring Breakout game, MLB’s inaugural prospect showcase. He hit a solo homer just to the left of the batter’s eye in centerfield in the fifth, his third hit and fourth RBI of the game.

"I see an athlete, I see power, I see a big lefthanded bat, I see a guy that can play the outfield,” an NL scout said. “I think the guy's going to have easy power. He's going to have some swing-and-miss, all the long-armed guys do. [But] I think he has a chance to be a star."

The 6-6 Jones, the Yankees' first-round pick in 2022 (taken 25th overall), hit a 470-foot homer in his first spring training at-bat  on Feb. 24 in Lakeland against the Tigers.