NEW YORK — Aaron Judge‘s MRI and CT scan results showed that he sustained a chip fracture of the right wrist (ulnar styloid bone) after getting hit by a pitch in the first inning of the Yankees’ 7-2 win over the Royals on Thursday night.
The Yankees announced that no surgery has been recommended for Judge, but they approximate a three-week time period before the slugger can swing a bat in a game situation.
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge‘s MRI and CT scan results showed that he sustained a chip fracture of the right wrist (ulnar styloid bone) after getting hit by a pitch in the first inning of the Yankees’ 7-2 win over the Royals on Thursday night.
The Yankees announced that no surgery has been recommended for Judge, but they approximate a three-week time period before the slugger can swing a bat in a game situation.
Judge was penciled into the Yankees’ lineup as the designated hitter in the series opener against the Royals. On a 3-2 count and the sixth pitch of his at-bat in the first inning, Judge took a 93.4-mph fastball from Jakob Junis off his right wrist.
“I was just trying to go heater away and it totally got away from me,” Junis said. “Tried humping up a little extra on it and just really came open and let it go.”
Judge took a slow walk down to first base as head trainer Steve Donohue and manager Aaron Boone ran out to check on him.
“I don’t know how much pain he was in [when he was taken out of the game],” Boone said. “You know, you get hit in the wrist or hand like that, it never feels good whether the result is good or bad.”
Video: [email protected]: Boone on Judge’s injury after hit by pitch
After staying in the game — and getting an infield single in the third — Judge was seen by the team doctor and was then sent to New York-Presbyterian Hospital to get an MRI and CT scan.
Video: [email protected]: Judge reaches first on an infield single
“[The X-ray] was just a little unclear, and MRI and the CT scan can be a little more clear of a picture,” Boone said. “Just in watching him swing underneath, didn’t feel like the strength was there that he needed and, at the time, we just didn’t want to take any more chances with it. As you guys know, Judgy’s as tough as they are, but we just wanted him to go get it taken care of, get it iced at least and get to the bottom of what was going on.”
Miguel Andujar pinch-hit for Judge in the fourth. With two outs, Andujar reached on an error before Didi Gregorius launched a three-run homer to give the Yankees a 6-0 lead.
Video: [email protected]: Gregorius drills a 3-run homer to right
Judge is hitting .285 and leads New York with 26 homers, and his 61 RBIs are tied with Giancarlo Stanton for the team lead. Judge’s .947 OPS is tops on the Yanks. He has hit .375 with 18 homers and 44 RBIs at Yankee Stadium this season.
It’s a bittersweet result for the Yankees, who now trail the rival Red Sox by 4 1/2 games after Boston’s 2-1 loss to the Twins at Fenway Park on Thursday night. The three-week timetable means Judge will miss New York’s four-game series at Boston from Aug. 2-5. After that, the Yankees have six games left against the Red Sox: at home Sept. 18-20 before closing out the season at Fenway Park from Sept. 28-30.
“You’re looking at a guy that hits 50 home runs for our team and he’s a big part of our lineup,” outfielder Aaron Hicks said. “We have to figure a way to win games and continue to keep it pushing.”
Mandy Bell is a reporter for MLB.com based in New York.
Be the first to comment