A BENCH WARRANT FOR JUDGE

GIRARDI GIVES SLUGGER ‘COUPLE DAYS OFF’

Seven weeks after Aaron Judge entered the spotlight by winning the Home Run Derby and took over baseball, the right fielder found himself on the bench.

“I’m probably going to give him a couple of days off to see if that’s something that helps him,’’ Joe Girardi said before the Yankees’ 6-2 loss to the Indians Monday night. “Try to refresh him and get him going. He’s played in a lot of games and I’m probably going to give him a couple of days off.”

It’s been a stunning fall for Judge, who emerged as the most fearsome force in the game through the first half of the season, but has barely been able to get out of his own way since the All-Star break.

The Yankees can hardly afford to sacrifice offense as they look to make a playoff push, but Judge’s struggles left the manager with little choice.

“I just thought he’s missing some pitches that he was hitting in the first half,” Girardi said. “It’s not what you really want to do. We tried a lot of different other things. So we’re going to try this.”

Reggie Jackson, no stranger to slumps when he played, said Judge’s second-half swoon isn’t entirely unexpected.

“They will figure you out then you have to figure them out,” Jackson said of opposing pitchers. “All of a sudden, you get feeling good and get on a roll.”

It’s been a while since that’s been the case for Judge, who has hit just seven homers since the break after blasting 30 before the All-Star Game.

He had a 1.139 OPS prior to the Midsummer Classic and just .692 since, along with 65 strikeouts in 182 plate appearances. He also struck out five times in his previous two games.

Girardi and hitting coach Alan Cockrell said the focus of the time off will simply be to rest for Judge — and not to tinker with his swing.

Judge has worn a huge bag of ice on his left shoulder after games for weeks, but has insisted it’s not a factor.

“We’ve talked about it a number of times,” Girardi said of the shoulder, adding that Judge has given him the same answer.

“That’s another thing you look at as a manager,” Girardi said. “He’s a tough kid. He wants to be out there every day for his team. I’m figuring the rest will probably help all over his body and that’s why I’m choosing to do it.”

And there have been no complaints from the rookie about being fatigued.

“That’s not something Aaron would ever do,” Girardi said. “So it’s my part to watch him and to do what I think is best.”