Aaron Boone has decided to refrain from predicting when Aaron Judge will resume playing in spring training games. Initially, there was an expectation that Judge, who underwent an MRI on his abdominal area last Monday, would be back in action on Saturday. However, when Judge didn’t play on Saturday, Boone stated that he wouldn’t speculate on the timeline anymore, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
Boone’s statement, as reported by Hoch on X (formerly Twitter), was, “I’m not going to predict anymore. I’m not worried about it. We’ll see.”
Despite Judge’s absence on Saturday, the MRI results came back clear, and the Yankees’ star still aims to be ready for Opening Day. Although Judge’s non-participation on Saturday raised some eyebrows among fans, Boone clarified the decision not to include him in the lineup during the game, via the YES Network.
Boone admitted, “I’ve been bad at predicting this, obviously. It’s not anything that is going to cost him the start of the season; I think he’s going to have plenty of runway. It’s just a matter of what’s the day that we start building him up. I really don’t expect it to be an issue.”
The exact date of Judge’s return to the Yankees lineup remains uncertain, but there’s ample time before Opening Day on March 28. Nonetheless, the more at-bats he gets before the season begins, the better.
While Yankees fans eagerly anticipate Judge’s return, the team is confident he’ll be ready for the 2024 season opener and sees no need to rush his recovery.
Judge himself has expressed confidence in his health and believes the injury won’t be a problem. Assuming no setbacks, Judge should be set to go on Opening Day.
Nevertheless, the team will continue to monitor his condition closely, and updates on Judge’s status will be provided as they become available.