Aaron Judge’s return from a long injury layoff hit another snag Wednesday when the Yankees star left New York’s 5-4, 13-inning loss to the Minnesota Twins with tightness in his lower right leg.
Judge said he first felt the problem in the opening inning and tried to play through it before manager Aaron Boone removed him in the sixth. The Yankees later described the move as precautionary. Judge had only recently returned after missing 84 games with a stress fracture in his first right rib, making any new physical issue difficult for New York to ignore this close to the postseason.
The 34-year-old had struck out in both of his plate appearances before Heliot Ramos replaced him. Judge said after the game that he did not expect to need imaging and suggested the tightness may simply be part of getting his body back up to game speed after such a long absence.
New York has already secured a playoff berth, but the club is still chasing positioning in the American League. Judge’s health matters far more than one September result: he remains the centerpiece of a lineup that will need him fully available if the Yankees are to make a deep October run.
Reporting based on MLB, AP and Reuters/Field Level Media coverage. Featured image: Tim Gouw via Unsplash.
