New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge said Tuesday morning that he underwent an MRI on his abdominal section on Monday after experiencing discomfort in the middle of his abs. The MRI came back clean, though Judge is expected to take at least a few days off before swinging a bat again, he told reporters, including Newsday's David Lennon.
Judge, 31, attributed the soreness to his monomaniacal approach to the offseason.
"I think just from swinging from November all the way until now, every single day, it put some wear and tear on it," he said, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "Especially coming back after a [right] toe injury when your mechanics are a little messed up and you're just working on some things.
Even with the break, Judge said he's still hoping to be ready for Opening Day.
Judge was limited to 106 games last season because of that toe injury, suffered after he collided with the Dodger Stadium right-field bullpen fence. When healthy, he batted .267/.406/.613 (175 OPS+) with 37 home runs. For those wondering, that put him on pace to homer more than 50 times had he appeared in his customary amount of games. Judge, of course, set the American League and Yankees single-season home-run record in 2022, launching 62 homers to top Roger Maris' longstanding mark.
Judge's contributions were estimated to be worth 4.5 Wins Above Replacement, per the calculations housed at Baseball Reference.
The Yankees recorded the third-most days missed to injury among teams last season, trailing only the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees are off to a similarly snakebitten start to the spring. Ace Gerrit Cole was expected to undergo a precautionary MRI on his throwing elbow, while young utility player Oswald Peraza has already been shut down for at least six weeks after suffering a shoulder injury.
The Yankees are scheduled to open their season on March 28 in Houston against the Astros.
