The Yankees officially began their summer without Aaron Judge on Friday after placing the slugger on the 10-day injured list with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side.
“You’re not gonna replace Aaron Judge,’’ manager Aaron Boone said. “We know how important he is to our club, but we’re also very confident in our ability to go out there and we absolutely have an expectation to continue to win games.”
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Try it freeWith the team’s outfield depth already lacking due to Jasson Domínguez being on the IL with a sprained left shoulder, the Yankees turned to Spencer Jones to take Judge’s spot on the roster, as they called the outfield prospect back up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The 6-foot-7 Jones started in right field Friday against Boston.
His first stint in the majors didn’t go well.
He was 4-for-24 with no extra-base hits, three walks and 12 strikeouts in 27 plate appearances.
Yankees’ Spencer Jones (78) during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTDomínguez is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday and general manager Brian Cashman said he would likely need more than just a few games before he’s ready to return to the majors.
And when he does, Domínguez is more comfortable in left and center field than in right, so Cody Bellinger could move to right, with Trent Grisham in center.
“Some guys will get opportunities to go and run with something,’’ Boone said. “Jones is up [Friday] and Domínguez was playing really well. I feel great about our club. There’s no getting around missing Aaron, of course. Hopefully, in the long [run] it puts someone in position to carve out a role.”
Giancarlo Stanton is still likely at least 2-3 weeks from returning from a strained calf, but it’s hard to imagine them running him out in the outfield.
Yankees’ Aaron Judge (99) looks on in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTStill, his power at DH would help.
Regardless of who the Yankees call upon, they will be left with a huge hole in their lineup until Judge returns — which almost certainly won’t be for at least two months.
Judge is scheduled to be re-imaged in 4-6 weeks to determine how much the area has healed and figure out the next steps.
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He is expected to return at some point this season and they have not fared well without him.
The Yankees dropped two of three to Cleveland in The Bronx without Judge this past week and since 2017 the Yankees have gone 652-442 with him in the lineup compared to 137-127 when he’s out.
“We’ve got a great ballclub,’’ Judge said. “You can’t compare this team to any past teams, especially with Ben Rice this year [and] Spencer Jones is a top prospect. I’m excited by what we’ve got.”
