MINNEAPOLIS — Aaron Judge started off his 31st birthday in style, but before long, the party looked in danger of getting cut short.

The indispensable Yankees slugger appeared to injure his right hand on an awkward dive while trying to steal third base during the second inning Wednesday, though he stayed in the game for the rest of the 12-6 win over the Twins at Target Field.

After he was tagged out at third on the steal attempt, Judge got up, went down the dugout stairs and headed straight for the tunnel, with trainers following him.

But he downplayed any potential issue after the game, insisting he was “feeling good.”

“I was mad I got thrown out, first off,” said Judge, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk and three RBIs. “Trying to make something happen and get to third base for [Anthony Rizzo] so he [could] poke something to the right side. I thought I had a good jump, but getting thrown out is pretty embarrassing, even on your birthday. I was just mad about that.”

Because he was serving as the designated hitter on Wednesday, the suspense lingered as to whether or not Judge would have to come out of the game early.

He eventually returned to the dugout, where he continued to receive attention from the training staff and could be seen frequently flexing his right hand.

According to Judge, however, there was never much of a question about staying in.

“There were some talks, but I ended those pretty quick,” Judge said. “You can either play or you can’t play. I’m able to play, it’s feeling good.”

After another strong showing, Judge now has a slash line of .412/.545/.941 with five extra-base hits in five games played on his birthday.

Judge roped a pair of doubles in his first two at-bats. The second one came with the bases loaded, and he promptly cleared them to give the Yankees a 5-0 lead. But Judge then tried to steal third base while Rizzo was up with two outs. As he dove in head-first, the throw beat him to the bag. He rolled over both hands, and his right hand got jammed into the base.

Still, Judge did not show any visible signs anything was wrong for the rest of the game. He walked in the fourth inning and singled in the fifth before striking out in the eighth.

Before the game, manager Aaron Boone had said he hoped to have Judge work as DH for one or two of the games during the Yankees’ upcoming series against the Rangers on the turf at Globe Life Field — and potentially get his first day off of the season. It remains to be seen whether that day off could be more in play after the injury scare.