Aaron Judge has recurrence of calf strain, Yankees may place him back on IL (UPDATED)

File this one under the ominous category. Aaron Judge exited tonight’s game between the Yankees and Braves after five innings. Clint Frazier replaced him in right field ahead of the sixth inning.

Judge went 1-for-3 with a strikeout in his first game back from a Grade 1 calf strain. The right fielder lobbied the Yankees to not place him on the injured list when he originally got hurt in Tampa Bay. It’s unclear if this is related to that, but calf injuries are notoriously tricky, and they’re quite easy to re-injure.

The 28-year-old is having an MVP-level season at the plate, hitting .292/.343/.738 with nine home runs (184 wRC+). Losing him to another injury would be a devastating blow an already thinned out Yankees lineup.

Here’s hoping it’s just for rest. Cross your fingers, everyone.

Update (9:17 PM): According to Marly Rivera, Judge’s calf tightened up while running to second base. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters, “Doesn’t seem to be serious, but we’ll see tomorrow.”

Sigh.

Update (8/27/20): While appearing on WFAN, Boone mentioned that an MRI revealed a recurrence of the calf injury. Judge might be heading back to the injured list. The team should know more tomorrow.

This is a developing situation. Stay tuned to Pinstripe Alley for more information as updates become available.