Aaron Judge ‘penciled in’ to return to Yankees’ lineup on Saturday
TAMPA — There is no concrete end date to Gerrit Cole Watch, as the ace undergoes more tests on his throwing elbow.
The Yankees are hoping to end Aaron Judge Watch on Saturday.
Manager Aaron Boone said Judge is “penciled in” to return to the lineup and center field Saturday, when the Yankees play the Blue Jays at Steinbrenner Field.
The Yankees captain has not swung a bat since Sunday and required an MRI exam on his abdomen Monday that came back “clean,” Judge and Boone have said.
On Sunday, Judge was pulled from the spring game following two at-bats, when most of the regulars received a third.
Judge and Boone have said the early exit had been planned.
Judge was out of both lineups on a split-squad day Monday, when Boone called him “mid-spring beat-up” and Judge went for testing on his core.
On Tuesday, Judge said he hoped to resume swinging again later this week.
He participated in outfield drills Tuesday but was absent from those drills Wednesday, when Boone says Judge instead worked out and received treatment.
“Just trying to make sure this doesn’t turn into something,” Boone said of the ab issue.
Judge said Tuesday he was “pretty sure” he would be ready for March 28’s Opening Day in Houston.
He did not want to speculate, though, this far away.
Judge has logged 16 plate appearances in six Grapefruit League games and said he typically feels comfortable for the start of the season after about 30 spring at-bats. (Though he added he could catch up with work against pitching machines.)
Boone was not sure when Judge would resume hitting and said he could play Saturday without ramping up with swings.
Clarke Schmidt will leapfrog Nestor Cortes in the rotation and start Friday in Tampa against the Pirates.
Doing so will put Schmidt, who had been pitching every sixth day, on a normal, regular-season rest schedule.
At this point, Cortes is still on an every-sixth-day schedule as he stretches out after rotator cuff problems last season and this offseason.
Righty reliever Jonathan Loaisiga, who has been pitching in live batting-practice sessions rather than games, is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut Thursday.
Oswaldo Cabrera, who wore No. 33 instead of his usual No. 95 on Tuesday, has not actually changed his number.
He had brought a wrong jersey for the road game.
The Yankees reassigned righty Duane Underwood Jr. and infielder Josh VanMeter to minor league camp.