KANSAS CITY — There were noticeable absences in the lineup that Yankees manager Aaron Boone made out for Thursday night’s game against the Royals.
For the first time this season, Aaron Judge wasn’t in there?
No, he’s not hurt. This is just a first day off of the sesaon fort Judge three days into a stretch in which the Yankees are playing 16 days in a row. Boone picked this day because the Yankees had a late-night flight from Kansas City to Boston after Thursday’s game.
Catcher Austin Wells also was rested for the Yanks-Royals’ series finale.
The other absence was third baseman Jazz Chisholm, who left Wednesday’s game in the fifth inning with left groin tightness.
By Thursday Chisholm said he was good to go, but Boone opted to play it safe for a day.
Chisholm will be back starting Friday night for the first of three this weekend at Fenway Park.
It’s still unknown if designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton will be in Boston this weekend.
Stanton was expected to rest on Thursday after two rehab games in two days for Double-A Somerset, then either play another game or two in the minors or come off the IL for the Yankees-Red Sox series.
Instead, Stanton returned to Somerset to get more at-bats Thursday night.
A decision will be made on Friday what comes next for Stanton, who has been sidelined all season with tennis elbow in both arms.
“I haven’t had those conversations yet. I know he’s getting real close,” Boone said. “We’ll see.”
The Yankees had no update on injured reliever Jack Cousins, who now is dealing with an UCL injury. The Yankees haven’t announced how serious this issue is, but it could be season ending.
Chisholm first felt discomfort in his groin while he was running from first to third in the fifth inning of the Yankees’ 6-3 win on Wednesday.
“I was about to round second base, and I just felt it,” Chisholm said. “At third base it tightened up on me.”
A day later, Chisholm said, “I’m feeling good.”
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected].
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
