Judge not in rush, but still eyes being ready on time
TAMPA — There is still uncertainty about when Aaron Judge will get back into a spring training game, with the outfielder doing just light defensive drills at Steinbrenner Field on Thursday, but no definitive plans about when he’ll start swinging again. After Aaron Boone said before the Yankees faced the Tigers in Lakeland, Fla., that the manager “was expecting him to swing” Friday, Judge said he hadn’t gotten that far yet while he takes it slow after experiencing discomfort in the abdomen region. “I’ll take it day-to-day,’’ Judge said. If Judge doesn’t hit Friday, Boone said, he won’t put him in Saturday’s Grapefruit League game against Toronto. On playing Saturday, Judge said, “That’s the plan, but honestly, there’s no rush. [I’m] feeling great, though. If it’s the [regular] season, I’m definitely in there. Our goal is March 28.” Judge has been out since striking out in both at-bats Sunday against the Braves, which both he and Boone said was a planned light day. But that was before Judge underwent an MRI exam on his abdomen Monday. The results of that test came back clean, but the Yankees and Judge are being “super cautious,’’ according to Boone. Judge added the right big toe that hampered him last season “feels great. It’s never felt better.”
As for the slow approach to getting back on the field, he noted Atlanta star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. missed about two weeks with right knee discomfort before he returned to the lineup Thursday.
“I think he knows, with the stuff he’s got going on, it’s better to miss the time now than in July and August,’’ Judge said of the reigning NL MVP. “It’s just about us being smart and being out there when we need to. … It’s about understanding these games in spring don’t matter. What matters is the regular season.”
“He’s adamant about getting it right,’’ hitting coach James Rowson said of Judge. “To me, everything looks like it’s going in the right direction.”
And he agreed with Judge that 30 at-bats during the spring would be enough to get him ready for the regular season. “It’s not like it’s a full reset,’’ Rowson said. Even before Judge was shut down, though, he was scuffling at the plate. After getting a pair of hits — including a double — in his first game of the spring, Judge went hitless in his next dozen at-bats, with five strikeouts and two walks.
“Usually, this time of spring, different guys are working on different things,’’ Rowson said. “The at-bats don’t tell the whole story. There was nothing for me that was crazy-alarming.”