NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees activated All-Star right fielder Aaron Judge on Wednesday and batted him second against Toronto, giving the team a full stable of healthy and active regulars for the first time since Aug. 8.Judge has been out since Aug. 26 after re-aggravating a strained right calf and landing on the injured list for the second time this season. Judge initially went on the IL on Aug. 14, returned for one game and promptly went back on the shelf.New York has been short-handed offensively since designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton was sidelined by a strained left hamstring on Aug. 9. Stanton was activated for Tuesday night's game against Toronto and went 0 for 4 with a walk. Stanton was not in Wednesday's lineup.Second baseman DJ LeMahieu, shortstop Gleyber Torres and third baseman Gio Urshela have also been placed on the IL this season, but all have since returned. The team suffered through a 5-15 slump amid the injuries, nearly dropping out of the AL's eight-team playoff... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Ailing sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton might be back in the New York Yankees' lineup as soon as next weekend.Manager Aaron Boone said Friday that both players are at the tail-end of their recoveries and could be sent to the club's alternate site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, this weekend to get at-bats. That would put them on track to return for the final 10 or so games in this pandemic-shortened 60-game regular season.“I would say they're both close,” Boone said. “They're both feeling well. They're both doing well. Hopefully, we're in the final days before they start getting some at-bats.”Judge is recovering from his second stint on the injured list this season with a strained right calf and last played Aug. 26. Stanton has been out since Aug. 8 with a left hamstring strain.New York has slumped badly without its towering power hitters. After starting this pandemic-shortened regular season 16-6, the Yankees entered Friday with 15 loss in their past 21 games, dropping... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees had their Sunday brightened by Masahiro Tanaka, who came to the ballpark and seemed well a day after being hit in the head by Giancarlo Stanton’s line drive.They’re hoping Yankee Stadium’s lights will do the same this week.Encouraged by Tanaka’s progress after Saturday’s scare, the Yankees are planning to hold intrasquad night games Monday and Tuesday in the Bronx as they prepare for the July 23 start of a 60-game regular season condensed by the coronavirus pandemic.The 7 p.m. scrimmages will both air on YES Network, giving fans at least a couple of live looks at the defending AL East champions this summer. Left-hander J.A. Happ is expected to start against young righty Clarke Schmidt on Monday, and new ace Gerrit Cole — signed to a $324 million, nine-year free agent deal last winter — is set to pitch Tuesday.New York has also been working to schedule exhibition games in the next 2 1/2 weeks with other clubs, possibly the Mets, but nothing has been formalized.“We’re... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Given an extra 3 1/2 months for their brittle stars to heal, the New York Yankees will closely monitor the conditioning of Aaron Judge, James Paxton, Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton ahead of a season unlike any other.“We want these players to withstand a 60-game sprint over a 66-day schedule," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday on the eve of the first arrivals for “spring” training 2.0, already dubbed summer camp in Major League Baseball's marketing deal.New York had been set to open March 26 at Baltimore with many of its key cogs on the injured list but expects all of them to be available when training resumes this weekend.Sound familiar?New York placed a big league record 30 players on the injured list a total of 39 times last season, then overhauled its training and conditioning staff.“Ultimately, we’re in it to win it,” Cashman said, “and I think everybody else should be feeling the same way. And especially in a shortened season, I think it heightens... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is optimistic Aaron Judge, James Paxton, Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton will be ready to play in time for New York's rescheduled opener at World Series champion Washington on July 23.Judge did not play in any exhibition games due to discomfort in his right pectoral muscle and shoulder that he felt when swinging. The Yankees said March 6 that the right fielder had a stress fracture to his first right rib, an injury likely dating from a diving catch late last season. Judge later said he had a collapsed lung.Paxton had surgery Feb. 5 to repair a herniated disk in his back and to remove a peridiscal cyst. The left-hander exited his final regular-season start, at Texas on Sept. 27, after one inning with what the Yankees said was a tight left glute muscle, then returned for three postseason starts.After agreeing to a $324 million, nine-year contract, right-hander Gerrit Cole heads a rotation that includes Paxton, righty Masahiro Tanaka,... [More]

Top prospect Wander Franco is part of the Tampa Bay Rays' 60-man player pool, and the Detroit Tigers are including their most heralded young pitchers as baseball gears up for its abbreviated season.Sunday was the deadline for teams to submit player pools, although additions can be made later. Many teams announced pools well below the 60-player limit.Franco, a 19-year-old shortstop, is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline. He spent last season at Class A, so it would be quite a jump for him to contribute in the majors in the immediate future, but putting him in the player pool makes him an option for the Rays — and could help his development in a year when the coronavirus shut down the minor leagues.Pitcher Brendan McKay and infielder Vidal Brujan, two other top Tampa Bay prospects, also made the pool.“They are some of our more advanced prospects," Rays general manager Erik Neander said. “Certainly on the position player side that’s where things went and why Wander was... [More]

Top prospect Wander Franco is part of the Tampa Bay Rays' 60-man player pool, and the Detroit Tigers are including their most heralded young pitchers as baseball gears up for its abbreviated season.Sunday was the deadline for teams to submit player pools, although additions can be made later. Many teams announced pools well below the 60-player limit.Franco, a 19-year-old shortstop, is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline. He spent last season at Class A, so it would be quite a jump for him to contribute in the majors in the immediate future, but putting him in the player pool makes him an option for the Rays — and could help his development in a year when the coronavirus shut down the minor leagues.Pitcher Brendan McKay and infielder Vidal Brujan, two other top Tampa Bay prospects, also made the pool.“They are some of our more advanced prospects," Rays general manager Erik Neander said. “Certainly on the position player side that’s where things went and why Wander was... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — So, where were we?Mid-March, a spring training exhibition between the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. Even before the final out, both sides had gotten the official word: Major League Baseball was shutting down immediately because of the coronavirus pandemic.“It felt like the most meaningless baseball game in the history of the sport,” Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter said.So now, they’ll try again.A skewed, 60-game schedule, rather than the full plate of 162, with opening day on July 23 or 24. A shortened, contorted season ordered by Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday night after billionaire owners and multimillion-dollar players couldn’t come to a new economic agreement against the backdrop of the virus outbreak.“What happens when we all get it?” Milwaukee pitcher Brett Anderson tweeted this week.From the start, a sprint to the finish. Got to come out strong. Remember last year: The Washington Nationals began 27-33 and... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — So, where were we?Mid-March, a spring training exhibition between the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. Even before the final out, both sides had gotten the official word: Major League Baseball was shutting down immediately because of the coronavirus pandemic.“It felt like the most meaningless baseball game in the history of the sport,” Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter said.So now, they’ll try again.A skewed, 60-game schedule, rather than the full plate of 162, with opening day on July 23 or 24. A shortened, contorted season ordered by Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday night after billionaire owners and multimillion-dollar players couldn’t come to a new economic agreement against the backdrop of the virus outbreak.“What happens when we all get it?” Milwaukee pitcher Brett Anderson tweeted this week.From the start, a sprint to the finish. Got to come out strong. Remember last year: The Washington Nationals began 27-33 and... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — So, where were we?Mid-March, a spring training exhibition between the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. Even before the final out, both sides had gotten the official word: Major League Baseball was shutting down immediately because of the coronavirus pandemic.“It felt like the most meaningless baseball game in the history of the sport,” Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter said.So now, they’ll try again.A skewed, 60-game schedule, rather than the full plate of 162, with opening day on July 23 or 24. A shortened, contorted season ordered by Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday night after billionaire owners and multimillion-dollar players couldn’t come to a new economic agreement against the backdrop of the virus outbreak.“What happens when we all get it?” Milwaukee pitcher Brett Anderson tweeted this week.From the start, a sprint to the finish. Got to come out strong. Remember last year: The Washington Nationals began 27-33 and... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — So, where were we?Mid-March, a spring training exhibition between the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. Even before the final out, both sides had gotten the official word: Major League Baseball was shutting down immediately because of the coronavirus pandemic.“It felt like the most meaningless baseball game in the history of the sport,” Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter said.So now, they’ll try again.A skewed, 60-game schedule, rather than the full plate of 162, with opening day on July 23 or 24. A shortened, contorted season ordered by Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday night after billionaire owners and multimillion-dollar players couldn’t come to a new economic agreement against the backdrop of the virus outbreak.“What happens when we all get it?” Milwaukee pitcher Brett Anderson tweeted this week.From the start, a sprint to the finish. Got to come out strong. Remember last year: The Washington Nationals began 27-33 and... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard became the latest big-name pitcher to need Tommy John surgery, joining the Yankees' Luis Severino and Boston's Chris Sale.New York said Tuesday that Syndergaard needs reconstruction of his ulnar collateral ligament and will miss the season that's been put on hold because of the coronavirus outbreak. Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek will operate on the right-hander on Thursday.“After experiencing discomfort in his elbow before spring training was suspended due to the pandemic, Noah and our health and performance department have been in constant contact,” Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said in a statement. “Based on the persistence of his symptoms, Noah underwent a physical examination and MRI that revealed the ligament tear."Syndergaard, the hardest-throwing starting pitcher in the major leagues last season, received a second opinion from Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache."While this is unfortunate,... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez was scratched from batting practice Saturday due to a sore back, though manager Aaron Boone said he doesn't think the problem is serious.Boone said he thought the soreness stemmed from Sanchez playing back-to-back games for the first time in spring training. Boone said he expected Sanchez would be shut down on Sunday, but didn't rule out a return to game action in a few days.“His back was a little sore this morning,” Boone said. “Nothing I’m too concerned about. I think that’s kind of normal wear and tear (after) first back-to-backs kind of thing. I don’t think it will be much of an issue."Sanchez joins a growing list of Yankees' regulars impacted by injuries.The team announced Friday that slugger Aaron Judge has a broken rib. It’s not clear whether he will need surgery, leaving doubt when he’ll be back in the lineup.Judge will rest two weeks while recovering from the stress fracture to his first right rib. He hasn’t played in... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has a broken rib and it's not clear whether he will need surgery, leaving doubt when he'll be back in the lineup.Manager Aaron Boone said he thought the star right fielder hurt himself making a diving catch late last season.“Frustrated, especially with an injury that happened at the end of last year and still didn't heal up,” Judge said. “At least we have an answer, so now we can start working on a solution. Overall, I'm just mad. I want to be out there with my team, especially in spring training. We've got a good team here, a good club. and we've got a lot of goals here in 2020.”Judge will rest two weeks while recovering from the stress fracture to his first right rib. He hasn't played in any spring training games while dealing with soreness in his right pectoral muscle and shoulder and has no timeline for a return.“I want to be out there. but the first thing is you've got to this healed, get this right and then you can move forward,”... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has a broken rib and it's not clear whether he will need surgery, leaving doubt when he'll be back in the lineup.Manager Aaron Boone said he thought the star right fielder hurt himself making a diving catch late last season.Judge will rest two weeks while recovering from the stress fracture to his first right rib. He hasn't played in any spring training games while dealing with soreness in his right pectoral muscle and shoulder.Judge underwent about a dozen tests, including and MRI plus CT and bone scans, to determine the source of his pain.“It shows signs of healing so we're going to give it the next couple and re-test to show how much healing is going on with that rib," Boone said.Removal of the bone is a possibility, depending on the healing process.“I wouldn't say that's off the table, but you wouldn't want to go do that right now especially if the bone is healing," Boone said.Judge was able to do all his normal workouts during... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has a broken rib and it's not clear whether he will need surgery, leaving doubt when he'll be back in the lineup.Manager Aaron Boone made the announcement Friday. He said he thought the star right fielder hurt himself making a diving catch late last season.Judge will rest two weeks while recovering from the stress fracture to his first right rib. He hasn't played in any spring training games while dealing with soreness in his right pectoral muscle and shoulder.Judge underwent around a dozen tests, including and MRI plus CT and bone scans, to determine the source of his pain.“It shows signs of healing so we're going to give it the next couple and re-test to show how much healing is going on with that rib," Boone said.Removal of the bone is a possibility depending on the healing process.“I wouldn't say that's off the table, but you wouldn't want to go do that right now especially if the bone is healing,," Boone said.Since winning the... [More]

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Gerrit Cole gave up homers on consecutive pitches to Detroit's Travis Demeritte and Miguel Cabrera in the first inning on Thursday.Then Demeritte and Cabrera went deep against the New York Yankees ace on back-to-back pitches in the second."Probably pleased with most of the pitches, just got blistered on a handful of bad ones," Cole said. “It's not my favorite day of 2020 so far, but it is just spring training. You just take it for what it is, plain and simple, and we'll learn from it and get better,”Cole, who signed a $324 million, nine-year contract as a free agent, allowed six runs. six hits and one walk in two innings with three strikeouts. The 29-year-old right-hander threw 33 of 44 pitches for strikes.After Victor Reyes had a leadoff double in the first, Demeritte hit a two-run drive and Cabrera homered to the back of a grass berm in deep left-center field. Demeritte hit another two-run drive in the second and Cabrera drove a pitch off the center-field backdrop."Miguel's... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Injured Yankees outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are likely to miss New York's opener at Baltimore on March 26.Judge is having more tests to determine the cause of soreness in the right pectoral area near his shoulder. Judge has not hit on the field since spring training started, and the right fielder felt discomfort Friday when he took batting practice for the second straight day in an indoor cage.“He feels it more now in the pec," general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday. “It's moved down toward the pec. We're just trying to figure it out and determine what's bothering him. In the meantime, I can just tell you he is feeling better in the last 48 hours."Stanton strained his right calf on Feb. 26 during defensive drills. Cashman thinks Stanton will be back in April.“For the time frame, obviously, we've got to get the healing component done for a Grade 1 strain and then rehab it,” Cashman said. “With arguably, what, 3 1/2 weeks to go before opening day I... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Injured New York Yankees outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are likely to miss New York's opener at Baltimore on March 26.Judge is having more tests to determine the cause of soreness in the right pectoral area near his shoulder. Judge has not hit on the field since spring training started, and the right fielder felt discomfort Friday when he took batting practice for the second straight day in an indoor cage.“He feels it more now in the pec," general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday. “It's moved down toward the pec. We're just trying to figure it out and determine what's bothering him. In the meantime, I can just tell you he is feeling better in the last 48 hours."Stanton strained his right calf on Feb. 26 during defensive drills. Cashman thinks Stanton will be back in April.“For the time frame, obviously, we've got to get the healing component done for a Grade 1 strain and then rehab it,” Cashman said. “With arguably, what, 3 1/2 weeks to go before opening... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yankees outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are likely to miss New York's opener at Baltimore on March 26 because of their injuries.Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday that Judge is having more tests to determine the cause of soreness in the right pectoral area near his shoulder. Judge has not hit on the field since spring training started. The right fielder felt discomfort Friday when he took batting practice for the second straight day in an indoor cage.“He feels it more now in the pec," Cashman said. “It's moved down toward the pec. We're just trying to figure it out and determine what's bothering him. In the meantime, I can just tell you he is feeling better in the last 48 hours."Stanton strained his right calf on Feb. 26 during defensive drills. Cashman thinks Stanton will be back in April.Since winning the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year award, Judge has been limited to 112 games in 2018 because of a broken right wrist and to 102 games last year... [More]