ARLINGTON, Texas -- Yankees captain Aaron Judge missed his third straight game with a mild hip strain, and New York won’t decide until Monday at the earliest whether he will go on the injured list.
“I know he came in feeling a little bit better today,” manager Aaron Boone said before the series finale at Texas. “I’m sure he’ll go through everything and we’ll evaluate where we are.”
Boone didn’t expect Judge to return to the lineup on Monday, when the Yankees open a three-game home series against Cleveland. Boone said the best-case scenario has Judge returning sometime during the three-game series against the Guardians.
Judge, the reigning AL MVP, hasn’t played since he was replaced in the fourth inning of the series opener against the Rangers after striking out twice. A day earlier, he landed awkwardly on his right side when trying to steal third base at Minnesota on his 31st birthday.
After hitting an AL-record 62 home runs last season, Judge is batting .261 with six homers and 14 RBIs in 26 games.
In other injury news, outfielder Jake Bauers and the team are awaiting MRI results. Bauers, who was added to the 26-man roster, bruised his right knee when he slammed into the left-field wall while making a catch in the first inning.
“I’m walking pretty good, walking pain free,” Bauers said. “The only thing that’s keeping my range of motion down is the swelling, so I’m sure today we’ll try to get all of that out of there.”
Outfielder Franchy Cordero traveled from Texas to Worcester, Massachusetts, after he was optioned to Triple-A Scranton. Then after Bowers got hurt, Cordero headed back to Texas to join the Yankees taxi squad.
New York also is without outfielders Giancarlo Stanton (left hamstring strain) and Harrison Bader (left oblique strain), and third baseman Josh Donaldson (right hamstring strain). All are on the IL, along with six pitchers.
RIght-hander Luis Severino, sidelined since March 21 by a right lat strain, is to make his first minor league rehab start for Class A Tampa.