Good news for Yankees: Aaron Judge set to be activated Tuesday
The Yankees' Aaron Judge looks on from the dugout before an MLB game against the Athletics at Yankee Stadium on Monday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Consider this notice to the A’s, Rays and the rest of the American League: The Beast of the East is back.
Aaron Judge will be activated off the injured list Tuesday before Game 2 of the Yankees' series against the lowly A’s and in plenty of time for their rematch against the blazing-hot Rays later this week, the slugger confirmed Monday. Aaron Boone doesn't expect any restrictions on Judge, who hasn’t played since April 27 with a mild hip strain.
Judge, who hurt himself on April 26 while attempting to steal third with a headfirst slide against the Twins, said he hasn’t felt any pain in five or six days. The only difference he expects, he said, is that he might try to control the urge to slide headfirst in the future.
“I try to but it’s kind of instinct,” a jovial Judge said Monday. “I don’t know what happens. I tell myself to slide feet-first and I feel like I’m going to be out so I kind of just dive. I was trying to get to the base. I can’t promise you guys it won’t happen again, but I’ll try [not] to."
He added: “I’m going to keep the same mindset. They wanted to give me that day off [on the 27th] but I wanted to be out there for the team and keep it rolling. I want to play every single game. I feel like I’m pretty cautious with things, but that was just a fluke thing that happened.
“I’m ready to go . . . [I] won’t try to do too much on the basepaths and I think we’ll be fine.”
Judge said he fought to play on April 27, the day he tweaked the hip again on a swing against the Rangers. Four days later, the Yankees chose caution, placing Judge on the injured list retroactive to April 29. (The Yankees originally announced that his IL stint was retroactive to April 28, but amended that Monday to say it actually was a day later, meaning he isn't eligible to return until Tuesday.) Going into Monday, the Yankees were 3-6 in his absence.
It's getting “an MVP player back,” Boone said. “It’ll be fun to write his name in the lineup. There’s just that presence he has, being our leader — certainly one of our leaders and guys look to him. I think there’s a tangible element to him being back in there . . . but there’s also, I think, an intangible element that he brings.”
The Yankees are coming off a competitive weekend series with the Rays, who brought a 28-7 record into Monday, but their offense has sputtered this season. Going into Monday, they had the seventh-worst OPS and fourth-worst on-base percentage in MLB. They’re also dealing with a slew of injuries, headlined by Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring), who isn’t expected to return until late May or early June.
Judge’s presence is an obvious and immediate upgrade, and having him back against the worst pitching staff in baseball is a tantalizing bonus. The A’s went into Monday with an unsightly 7.25 ERA (the second-worst ERA in baseball belongs to the Royals, at a comparably modest 5.66).
Boone said the club still is weighing the corresponding roster move. In addition to optioning a player or designating one for assignment, they could choose to put Oswald Peraza on the injured list (he’s nursing an ankle injury but was available to hit off the bench), Boone said.
Judge, who has a .261 average with six homers in 26 games, is more than ready to be back.
“I don’t think I can say what’s been going through my head” while having to watch from the dugout, he said. “It’s a shift from being a player to trying to be a good teammate. What can I do to help the team? . . . I’m just happy to be back. I don’t like sitting out. I love rooting on my teammates, but I’d rather be rooting them on while I’m on the field.”
His teammates certainly feel the same way.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
