ARLINGTON — Aaron Judge is dealing with a mild strain to the top of his hip but feels better three days after suffering the injury, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday.
Judge underwent an MRI on Friday after getting banged up on an awkward, head-first slide into third base during Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins.
“We’re just treating him day-to-day, and he’s shown a lot of improvements here in the last two days,” Boone said before Saturday’s road game against the Texas Rangers.
“We’re gonna wait to see today and tomorrow and see how we’re doing to see if this is something that we want to take a 10-day [stint on the injured list] or if he’s ready to play by Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.”
Judge hasn’t resumed baseball activities but was “itching” to hit Saturday, Boone said. The Yankees hope to make a decision about their next steps with Judge by Monday.
The reigning American League MVP remained in Wednesday’s game after the slide. He started Thursday’s series opener in Arlington against the Rangers but left in the fourth inning after two at-bats.
“Woke up this morning and you kind of feel a little bit more of what happened,” Judge said after Thursday’s game, referring to the slide. “Culmination of having that and a couple swings today [and] really couldn’t get it loose. You feel a little something there in the second at-bat, and best to shut it down and try to reevaluate and see here in a couple days.”
Judge said he wasn’t “too concerned” at the time. Boone had also contended after Friday’s game that Judge’s injury didn’t “seem too serious.”
The Yankees’ outfield was already depleted due to injuries to Giancarlo Stanton and Harrison Bader. On Saturday, the team called up lefty-hitting outfielder Jake Bauers, who slugged nine home runs in 21 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Judge leads the Yankees with six home runs and 14 RBI.
The Yankees transferred reliever Lou Trivino to the 60-day injured list Saturday following a recent setback to his injured elbow.
Trivino, who has not pitched in a game this season, is scheduled to receive a second opinion Monday, according to Boone.
The right-hander suffered the injury during spring training and was shut down this month after experiencing discomfort following a live session.
The 31-year-old Trivino, who came over in a midseason trade last year, recorded a 1.66 ERA across 25 appearances for the Yankees in 2022.
The Yankees’ four-game set in Arlington serves as a reunion for designated hitter Willie Calhoun, who spent parts of his first six MLB seasons with the Rangers.
Calhoun didn’t start the series’ first game but batted cleanup Friday, picking up the Yankees’ first hit against Rangers ace Jacob deGrom in the fourth inning. He added a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
“I feel like I grew up with them,” Calhoun said of the Rangers. “I’ve been through a lot with them. They’ve been there for me as a support.”
The Rangers traded Calhoun last June to the San Francisco Giants, with whom he appeared in four MLB games. Calhoun, 28, signed a minor-league deal with the Yankees in the offseason and, after beginning the year in Triple-A, was called up April 8.
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