Aaron Judge is “starting to feel better,” Aaron Boone said, though that feeling has not yet translated into concrete progress toward a return.
Thursday will mark four weeks since the Yankees announced their captain had suffered a stress fracture of a rib and would undergo additional medical imaging in “approximately four to six weeks.”
He will not be reexamined on the shortest end of the given spectrum, Boone saying Tuesday that Judge is weeks away from a scan that would check for healing.
But in his dealings with Judge, Boone said the feedback has improved.
“He was uncomfortable there for a while,” the Yankees manager said before his team’s 9-3 blowout loss to the Tigers on Tuesday at the Stadium, their sixth consecutive defeat. “It seems like the normal stuff is starting to feel better, so hopefully that’s a good sign of hopefully some healing.”
Judge believed he suffered the stress fracture during a dive in Houston on April 26, and he struggled for weeks trying to play through it before opting for tests in early June.
Since then, the best hitter in baseball has not been “able to do much,” Boone said, “and certainly not able to do any baseball activities.” Judge has been able to work out in the weight room and strengthen his lower body.
Any return timetable remains elusive.
“It does seem like this week he is starting to feel better, which is encouraging,” Boone said.
After crashing into Jasson Domínguez a day prior, Jazz Chisholm Jr. said he felt better and believed he would be available off the bench, though Boone said the second baseman only would be used in an emergency.
Chisholm believed he would be cleared from the concussion protocol. Boone said he didn’t know whether Chisholm would play Wednesday, and José Caballero started at second base Tuesday.
Chisholm left Monday’s loss in the fourth inning after he chased a shallow fly ball and was clotheslined by Domínguez, who made the catch.
“Felt like I got punched in the face,” Chisholm said.
Cody Bellinger, who had played in 83 of the first 84 games this season, sat for a second time amid a deep slump.
In his previous 12 games, Bellinger had gone 5-for-41 (.122) with a .396 OPS.
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“He’ll get corrected and get it going here,” Boone said. “Hopefully giving him at least the start off tonight kind of lets him take a step back for a second and hopefully get it going.”
Call-up Yovanny Cruz pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts.
He threw five pitches above 100 mph and maxed out at 101.5 mph.
Against lefty Tarik Skubal, Max Schuemann started in left field, Spencer Jones in center and Domínguez in right.