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Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed on Monday what manager Aaron Boone had hinted over the weekend:
Right fielder Aaron Judge won’t be making a quick return from the left oblique strain that was suffered during Saturday’s game and led to spot Sunday on the 10-day injured list stint.
“We’re not going to be able to put a timeframe on it,” Cashman said during a guest appearance on Mike Francesa’s WFAN radio show. “He does have a significant injury, so he’s going to be down for a while.”
When Francesa asked if Judge would be reassessed in two weeks, Cashman said, “A while would be past that two-week timeframe. I think we’ll probably get a better feel for this thing as we move forward. But two weeks is probably premature from having that feel for it.”
Judge was hitting .288 with five homers and 11 RBI in 20 games while he was hurt running out a sixth-inning single to right field last Saturday at Yankee Stadium during the Yankees’ 9-2 win over the Kansas City Royals.
“At the end of the day we’re going to have to repackage and play with what we’ve got,” Cashman said. “Our effort is to find a way to excel regardless.”
Judge became the Yankees’ 13th current IR player, joining starting center fielder Aaron Hicks and DH/outfielder Giancarlo Stanton.
The Yankees now are starting Brett Gardner in center, Mike Tauchman in left and Clint Frazier in right while having utility infielder Tyler Wade as their fourth outfielder.
All three current starting outfielders have been major contributors in the Yankees’ taking a winning record at 11-10 into a three-city West coast trip that begins Monday night in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels. Frazier is batting .339 with six homers and a team-high 17 RBI, Tauchman is batting .242 with three homers and eight RBI and Gardner, although hitting just .227, has five homers and 10 RBI.
“We’re thankful what Tauchman and Frazier have done, and Gardy obviously has been Gardy,” Cashman said.