New York Post | George A. King III: The New York Yankees were preparing to head into the 2020 regular season with injuries across-the-board. Their entire outfield was set to miss a nice chunk of games to open the season, but inevitably, there are players who will benefit from a shortened campaign. Gary Sanchez is one of them, who has dealt with chronic lower-body injuries over the past few seasons, limiting his efficiency and hurting his stamina.
Aaron Judge, who suffered a rib fracture last September, is still recovering and would have missed more than half the regular season if it had played out normally. Hopefully, in a shortened campaign, Judge can return to some degree and help the team moving forward. Giancarlo Stanton, who also struggled with various injuries in 2019, is reportedly healthy and ready to go.
Clint Frazier, who has struggled defensively, was expected to receive starting reps to open the year, and he could still play at an influential part in limiting fatigue over a busy condensed season. Lastly, James Paxton, who underwent surgery to remove a cyst from his lower back, is healthy and ready to go. He will be a free agent next year, and extracting any remaining value from the left he is essential.
NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Judge’s health has been a massive question mark the past few months, as his recovery has been lengthy and strenuous. According to hitting coach Marcus Thames a few weeks ago, Judge still hadn’t started hitting in the batting cage. The slugger was scheduled to undergo a CT scan to reassess the injury, but nothing is conclusive just yet.
There’s ultimately no guarantee he will be ready to start a revised regular season in July, as he’s been laying off training for quite some time. Not hitting a ball for months will require him to get additional at-bats in before stepping into the batter’s box in a professional game.