Fantasy News

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Goes deep in loss

  Rotowire Apr 14, 2024

  Judge went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer, a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's loss to Cleveland. Judge is still looking to find his groove in 2024, but he's collected an extra-base hit in each of his last three games. His three-run shot in the third inning off Guardians starter Logan Allen was his third homer of the year and first since April 6. Judge is slashing .207/.373/.448 with eight extra-base hits and a 16:15 BB:K through 16 games.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Swats second homer

  Rotowire Apr 7, 2024

  Judge went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, an additional run and two walks in Saturday's 9-8 win against Toronto. Judge set the tone early for New York, bashing a 425-foot, two-run homer off Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman in the first inning. The long ball was the slugger's second of the season, both of which have come over his past three contests. Judge went 3-for-24 with just one RBI over his first six games of the campaign but appears to be heating up, going 4-for-9 with the two homers and five RBI over his subsequent three contests.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Homers, drives in three

  Rotowire Apr 3, 2024

  Judge went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, three RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-5 win over Arizona. Judge got the Yankees on the board with a two-run homer in the top of the fourth and later added an RBI double in extra innings to give New York a 6-4 lead. The long ball was Judge's first of the season, while the game also marked his first multi-hit performance of the 2024 campaign. The star center fielder had just three hits coming into the contest and will look to build off Wednesday's showing when the Yankees host the Blue Jays in their home opener.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Returns to lineup

  Rotowire Mar 20, 2024

  Judge (abdomen) is starting in center field and batting third for the Yankees in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game versus the Pirates, Erik Boland of Newsday reports. Judge's return to spring games kept getting pushed back as he battled through an abdominal issue, but he's finally back in the lineup for the first time since March 10. The 31-year-old slugger fully expects to be ready to go for Opening Day on March 28 against the Astros.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Projected to play Wednesday

  Rotowire Mar 18, 2024

  Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Judge (abdomen) "should be good to go" for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates following Tuesday's team off day, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. Boone had previously projected Judge to rejoin the spring lineup this past Saturday, only for the Yankees to push back the slugger's return. With that in mind, Judge's status will still warrant monitoring Wednesday to ensure he is in fact playing against Pittsburgh. Judge has been slowed by the abdominal issue for nearly a week, but on a positive note, he was able to take part in some hitting work after an MRI returned negative. He took on-field batting practice Friday and Saturday, then hit off a tee and pitching machine Sunday. Judge didn't resume taking BP on Monday as expected, though he was spotted taking part in outfield drills. Boone's comments would seem to suggest that Judge's absence from batting practice Monday was merely just a late change of plans rather than the result of the 31-year-old experiencing any sort of setback during his recent workouts.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Doesn't hit on field as scheduled

  Rotowire Mar 18, 2024

  Judge (abdomen) participated in outfield drills but didn't take on-field batting practice as scheduled Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. The initial schedule Yankees manager Aaron Boone offered last week would have had Judge playing Monday in his second Grapefruit League game back from a core-muscle injury. Instead, Judge hasn't played in any games since suffering the injury, and his hitting work has been relatively limited. Judge doesn't seem to have suffered a setback in his recovery from the injury, but rather, the Yankees have decided to proceed more cautiously with the star slugger. Still, some concern about Judge's availability for Opening Day will linger until he returns to action and looks healthy.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Held out Monday

  Rotowire Mar 18, 2024

  Judge (abdomen) is not in the lineup for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. Judge hit off a tee, hit soft-toss pitching and hit off a pitching machine Sunday, and his abdominal injury sounds like something he would have played through in the regular season, but the Yankees are playing it safe with him right now. The Yankees are off Tuesday, so Judge will get a couple more days at least to rest without playing in an exhibition game. Trent Grisham starts in center field and will bat seventh Monday.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Takes part in more hitting Sunday

  Rotowire Mar 17, 2024

  Judge (abdomen) hit off a tee, hit soft-toss pitching and hit off a pitching machine Sunday, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports. Contrary to what manager Aaron Boone had predicted Wednesday, Judge didn't make his return to the Yankees' Grapefruit League lineup Saturday versus the Blue Jays, but the 31-year-old was still able to take some steps forward this weekend in his recovery from abdominal discomfort. He's been able to hit in some fashion each of the past three days, as he took live batting practice Friday and Saturday in addition to Sunday's workout. Judge has said that he would have been ready to play Saturday if the regular season was already underway, but the Yankees understandably erred on the side of caution with the slugger and held him out. He could draw back into the Yankees' spring lineup within the next few days.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Slated for BP

  Rotowire Mar 16, 2024

  Judge (abdomen) is expected to take batting practice Saturday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports. Judge is out of the Yankees' Grapefruit League lineup Saturday against Toronto, but he's not been shut down from activities entirely and will be able to get some work in. The slugger has stated he would be playing if it were the regular season, after a recent MRI on his abdomen came back negative.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Not playing Saturday

  Rotowire Mar 15, 2024

  Manager Aaron Boone said Judge (abdomen) will "probably not" play in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. Judge went through his normal workout routine and hit in a batting cage Friday, but the Yankees apparently won't return him to game action Saturday as previously expected. Boone also said Judge is "fine," per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, so the 2022 AL MVP could seemingly still play within the next couple days.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Hitting in batting cage Friday

  Rotowire Mar 15, 2024

  Judge (abdomen) will hit in a batting cage and go through his normal workout routine in the weight room Friday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. Judge had been slated for on-field batting practice but will hit out of public view instead. The slugger did not rule out playing in Saturday's Grapefruit League game for the Yankees. Judge hasn't played in a spring game since Sunday but remains optimistic that he will be ready to roll come Opening Day.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Not on BP schedule

  Rotowire Mar 15, 2024

  Judge (abdomen) isn't listed on the schedule to take on-field batting practice Friday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports. The 31-year-old is tentatively slated to return to the Grapefruit League lineup Saturday, but manager Aaron Boone had indicated he would need to hit Friday in order to be cleared to play. Judge could still swing a bat Friday in another setting, but any reps apparently won't be coming during batting practice.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Expected to do some hitting Friday

  Rotowire Mar 14, 2024

  Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Judge (abdomen/oblique) is slated to do some hitting Friday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports. Boone previously said that Judge was penciled into the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, but the 2022 American League MVP will first need to get through some hitting Friday before being cleared to start. Judge is dealing with what the team has referred to as an abdominal injury, although Pat Ragazzo of SI.com hears it's actually an oblique issue. The expectation is that Judge will be ready for Opening Day, but he can't afford any hiccups at this stage of spring training.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Battling oblique issue

  Rotowire Mar 13, 2024

  Judge is dealing with pain in his oblique and still has problems with his right big toe, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports. Judge missed nearly two months of last season due to a torn ligament in his toe, and his oblique injury comes in addition to the abdomen soreness that he reported Monday. It's unclear if Judge's injuries will prevent him from returning to Grapefruit League play Saturday against the Blue Jays as planned, but the Yankees still expect him to be ready for Opening Day.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Expected in lineup Saturday

  Rotowire Mar 13, 2024

  Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday he has Judge (abdomen) "penciled in" to the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports. Judge's availability for the start of the season was cast into some level of doubt when he was sent in for an MRI earlier this week, but the imaging revealed no serious injury to his abdominal area. The star outfielder was still advised to take a few days off before swinging the bat again, but assuming he checks out fine in his workouts Thursday and/or Friday, he looks like he'll draw back into the starting nine over the weekend. Fantasy managers who have yet to draft will still want to keep tabs on Judge's status in the coming days to feel more confident about investing in him late in the first round or early in the second round of drafts.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Undergoes MRI on abdomen

  Rotowire Mar 12, 2024

  Judge won't swing a bat until later this week after undergoing an MRI on his abdomen Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. The good news is that his MRI came back negative, but Judge will exercise caution in staying out of the batting cage for a few days, noting that "there's no real need to push it." Judge doesn't appear too concerned about the injury and still anticipates being ready for Opening Day. Still, his latest injury brings a cloud of uncertainty in the middle of fantasy draft season.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Out through Tuesday with soreness

  Rotowire Mar 11, 2024

  Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Judge is "mid-spring beat up" and is not expected to return to Grapefruit League play until Wednesday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. The skipper didn't elaborate any further as to what Judge is dealing with, but the fact that he expects him to be back in a couple days is a good sign. Judge -- who is expected to mostly play center field this season for the Yankees -- is 2-for-14 with a double in six games so far this spring.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Could play first base in emergency

  Rotowire Feb 23, 2024

  Judge worked out at first base over the offseason and hasn't ruled out playing there this season if he's needed, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports. Judge has worked out at first base before and played the position during his freshman season at Fresno State, so it's not totally foreign to him. That said, it seems like it would only happen in an emergency situation, with Anthony Rizzo set as the starter and DJ LeMahieu offering depth at the position. For fantasy purposes, Judge picking up first base eligibility would appear to be highly unlikely.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: Toe will require maintenence

  Rotowire Feb 20, 2024

  Judge said Tuesday that his right big toe injury will likely require "constant maintenance" for the remainder of his career, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. Judge suffered a torn ligament in the toe when he collided with the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium last June, an injury that wound up costing him about two months of action. The issue healed without surgery and Judge noted Tuesday that his toe feels good, but it sounds like it will take constant work to keep it that way. Judge is expected to see the majority of his playing time in center field this season, at least until Jasson Dominguez (elbow) returns.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Yankees' Aaron Judge: In line to bat third

  Rotowire Jan 19, 2024

  Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in an interview Friday with Foul Territory that Judge will "probably" bat third this season. Boone didn't commit to anything, but for the time being he's leaning toward putting Juan Soto in the two spot and Judge at three. Judge batted second for all but two of his starts last season, but an addition of a hitter the caliber of Soto requires some adjustments.

  ... See More ... See Less