New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge looks beyond comfortable in Scranton as he makes his way back to the big-time, the Bronx.
MOOSIC, PA—Aaron Judge’s possible final night with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders was rather uneventful.
Yet, all indications point to Judge returning to the New York Yankees lineup Friday.
Judge looked comfortable and confident in his play at the plate in his customary two-hole and in right field Wednesday night—not showing any signs of a problem from his oblique injury that has kept him sidelined 53 games—in his second game with the RailRiders after a three-game stint with the Single-A Tampa Tarpons.
He went 0-2 with a walk and left the game after the sixth inning likely a precaution after a steady driving rain developed two innings earlier. Judge looked sharp in right, as he fielded three balls, nearly throwing out a runner at third on a one-hop laser.
Over five rehab games, Judge hit .125 with one homer, two RBI, three walks, two runs and seven strikeouts.
Earlier in the night, there were rumors that Judge would play Thursday night with the RailRiders as a DH, but rumblings surfaced later in the night that he would be returning to the Bronx Thursday morning.
Captain Aaron Judge pic.twitter.com/qcFf2V0Bte
— Chris Dixon (@cdixon25) June 19, 2019
Tuesday evening in his first game in Scranton, Judge launched a mammoth solo homer and stated that he was “ready,” and “it’s just about getting the reps in and making sure this thing stays healthy and no issues.”
Outfielder Clint Frazier, who was sent down to the RailRiders Sunday, finally arrived, but he did not see action. Frazier took all of the allotted 72 hours via the players’ collective bargaining agreement to report. He hit .283 with 11 homers and 34 RBI in 53 games with the Yankees; still, Frazier has been criticized for his defensive play.
He apparently won’t be affected by his new surroundings.
“I have to come down here and do nothing differently than I did up there,” he said before the game. “Some stuff was working up there offensively, and obviously defensively I have some stuff I need to continue to do. I don’t think I’m going to change any part of my routine.
“I am not a bad outfielder.”
