Judge takes on-field batting practice
Yankees, Red Sox angry over Indians’ trade for Donaldson
MINNEAPOLIS — Yankees slugger Aaron Judge took on-field batting practice Monday for the first time since breaking his right wrist July 26.
The five-round session included home runs to all fields by the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year.
“It went really well. Another big step for him to get out on the field,” said manager Aaron Boone, who called the performance “putting on a show.”
Judge is second on the team with 26 home runs and has 61 RBIs while hitting .285 in 99 games. He’s also struck out 137 times in 372 at-bats.
Judge took indoor batting practice the last two days in Seattle and said Sunday the wrist still hurts. He did not speak to media before Monday’s game in Minnesota.
Assuming Judge feels good today, Boone said he anticipates Judge taking more swings, potentially during group batting practice.
Boone cannot put a timetable on when Judge could be back in the lineup.
“We’re not at that point to where we’re going to throw him in the games yet or something,” he said. “We just want to get through these next couple days where he starts ramping up the amount of swings out on the field and continues to build that momentum.”
DONALDSON TRADE: The Yankees and Red Sox never agree.
That they are now likely speaks volumes to the topic at hand.
The two bitter rivals recently “voiced displeasure” to MLB regarding the Indians recent trade with Toronto for star third baseman Josh Donaldson, according to The Athletic.
The trade was completed Aug. 31, the deadline for which a traded player is eligible to play in the postseason for his new team.
That a deal was even completed in time has the Sox and Yankees up in arms.
Donaldson’s unclear health status — he hasn’t played since May 28 due to a calf injury — is at the forefront of the teams’ issues with the deal.
The 2015 AL MVP, who hasn’t played since May 28, began a minor league rehabilitation assignment on Aug. 29 and was deemed healthy enough to be placed on revocable trade waivers by the Jays and commissioner’s office.
But the Indians placed Donaldson right back on the DL after dealing for him two days later. He is expected to be activated Tuesday.
“I guess he got re-injured on the plane,” one rival executive told The Athletic, sarcastically.
Before Donaldson was placed on revocable waivers, he and his agent told the Jays he wasn’t healthy. The organization disagreed, and the infielder only agreed he was no longer hurt once the MLBPA became involved.
If Donaldson wasn’t said to be healthy, he most-likely wouldn’t have been placed on the revocable waivers before the postseason deadline.
But now the infielder could cause damage come postseason.
INDIANS: AL Central-leading Cleveland got star reliever Andrew Miller back Monday and plan to put Donaldson in the starting lineup today.
Miller has been out since late August with a left shoulder injury, the latest setback in a rough season for the twotime All-Star. Miller has a 3.38 ERA in 24 innings, though he pitched better in August before his shoulder flared up.
The Indians made the move before playing at Tampa Bay.
Donaldson, acquired from Toronto on Aug. 31, batted .234 with five home runs and 16 RBIs this season for the Blue Jays.
“I feel great,” Donaldson said. “I passed everything that I wanted to accomplish and what they wanted me to accomplish. My expectations are go out there and help this team win, whether it’s defensively, offensively, whatever it may be.”
Right-hander Trevor Bauer, out since Aug. 12 with a right fibula stress fracture, is tentatively scheduled to throw off a bullpen mound Wednesday.
“It’s really good news,” Francona said. “He’s having a good week.”
Bauer is 12-6 with a 2.22 ERA in 25 starts.