Without a verdict
Judge ‘feels good’ but doesn’t want to predict return from disabled list
BOSTON — When Aaron Judge suffered a fractured right wrist after being hit by a pitch on July 26, the initial prognosis was the right fielder would miss in the area of three weeks.
Sunday was the 11th day since the injury and Judge didn’t want to speculate when he might come off the disabled list.
“Taking it day-to-day, everything so far feels good. It’s tough to say, I don’t want to put a number on it. But as far as I know from the trainers we are right on track,’’ Judge said before sitting out his ninth game and watching the Yankees fall to the Red Sox, 5-4 in 10 innings Sunday, completing a four-game sweep at Fenway Park. “There is still pain and discomfort, it is still fractured and it’s not healed. Right now some of the range of motion is coming back. Now it’s getting the strength back.’’
Judge is limited to conditioning and agility drills. He did throw a ball in the batting cage.
“I tried it the other day and it went about 5 feet, taking it slow,’’ said Judge, who has used a bat to track pitches.
Aaron Boone said this weekend that Judge could be swinging a bat in some form by the end of this road trip which f inishes in Chicago on Wednesday — but Judge didn’t want to guess.
“That’s tough to say. I do what they tell me,’’ Judge said.
With Judge on the DL, the Yankees are 3-6. His role has been to limited to encouraging teammates in the dugout.
“Anytime you are not playing it’s tough,’’ said Judge, whose only other DL stint was the final two weeks of the 2016 season with a strained right oblique muscle. “We have a good team. It’s a rough time in the season and we are facing a good ball club.’’
Judge, who wears an elbow guard on his left arm, said he will wear a protective device on his wrist when he returns.
“So it won’t break again,’’ said Judge, who explained he will continue to wear the guard indef initely.
Judge said he wasn’t sure if he will have to play in a few minor league games on a rehab assignment before coming off the DL.
Boone spoke to J.A. Happ on Sunday and the left-handed starter said the team should know Monday if he can start Thursday against the Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Happ is on the DL with hand, foot and mouth disease and was originally slated to start Saturday against the Red Sox.
“We are hoping to get a final result [Monday] whether the virus has run its course and is no longer contagious,’’ Boone said. “He has played catch the past couple of days and has been able to work out. As for [Monday], if the virus is out of there, there is a real chance he will pitch for us on Thursday.’’
If Happ gets positive news Monday, he would throw a bullpen at home and wait until Thursday to rejoin the team.
Gary Sanchez has been doing light hitting drills in Tampa and the plan is for the catcher to continue his rehab from a right groin injury in The Bronx.
“Hopefully, by the time we get back from Chicago [on Thursday], he will be starting to run out on the field, starting to take batting practice and those kind of things,’’ Boone said of Sanchez, who has been on the DL since July 24 with a strained right groin. Sanchez was also shelved June 25-July 19 with the same injury. “He is feeling good, no complaints every day but not full weight-bearing when he runs.’’
The Red Sox are the only team in baseball who have not lost four straight games. The Yankees were the 29th team to drop four in a row when they lost Saturday, and have now lost five consecutive games.