Aaron Judge was dealing with some soreness according to the Yankees, and he underwent an MRI yesterday to check for any structural damage. The tests came back clean, a huge positive for the team, but the injury scares to two of their three best players are definitely unpleasant. It puts his goal of playing on Wednesday into question, and the captain revealed that he will likely not swing a bat until later in the week. The goal is still to play on Opening Day, and the injuries are beginning to mount for a ballclub that was hoping to have a clean bill of health heading into Houston.
To clarify; the MRI and testing did come back clean, and this is seen as a precautionary measure to make sure he’s fully rested and not pushing it during exhibition games.
Aaron Judge Reveals MRI, Yankees Catch a Break
The New York Yankees are currently holding their breath in regards to Gerrit Cole, who is undergoing a far more serious MRI on his elbow, but the news that Aaron Judge’s MRIs came back clean is a sigh of relief. He’ll shut down swinging for a couple of days, but continue doing defensive work as he attributes the soreness to extensive work over the winter. For as long as they’ve had Aaron Judge, injuries have been considered this team’s biggest downfall, and right now they’re going through the drudge of revealing who is currently banged up or not.
For now, Aaron Judge is fine, and that should be the main takeaway from this injury report if there was structural damage in his core or oblique, that MRI likely would have revealed it. Instead, they can focus on the news with Gerrit Cole, although he’s not the only pitcher feeling a little banged up. Luke Weaver was supposed to get the start this afternoon but was scratched with a stiff neck, and the Yankees are hoping it’s nothing more than that as he’s expected to be their sixth starter for the year.
READ MORE: Yankees’ depth starter scratched from tomorrow’s start with a stiff neck
If Gerrit Cole is out for any period of time, the importance of Luke Weaver’s health grows, and even if the ace were to get positive news regarding the elbow, he’d still need to miss some time. Being shut down from throwing is the likeliest outcome, but for how long is what determines whether the Yankees should be alarmed about their season or not. If they don’t have Weaver available, they could turn to their MiLB depth, with arms like Clayton Beeter, Will Warren, and Luis Gil being obvious choices for a starting role.
Cody Poteet is another name that could factor into that equation, as he’s a starter and currently on their 40-man roster as well. We know the Yankees like to be secretive with their injuries as to not disclose information about a player that they don’t want to get out, but an MRI isn’t team speculation, so that should soothe some fans. Still, they dodged a bullet on the Aaron Judge news, and now we await the prognosis on Gerrit Cole and to a lesser extend, try to get a better idea as to what’s going on with Luke Weaver as well.