UPDATE: Aaron Judge pinch hit for outfielder Estevan Florial in the fifth inning of Wednesday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. With runners on second and third and one out, with the Yankees trailing, 1-0, Judge struck out swinging.
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It’s trade-deadline week, so any Yankees player being pulled from a lineup 40 minutes before the first pitch sounds off alarms.
Times that by 1,000 with All-Star right fielder Aaron Judge being scratched from Wednesday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays and the Yankees offering no explanation.
“This does not involve a trade,” Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted.
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Judge just returned from the COVID injured list on Tuesday night and was 1-for-4 with a single and seemingly harmless ninth inning hit by pitch on an 80-mph slider that bounced off his backside. He did not take batting practice on the field before Wednesday’s game.
The Yankees trading Judge would be an all-time shocker, but he can file for free agency after the 2022 season.
Judge leads the Yankees with 21 homers and 47 RBI and carries a .282 batting average that is best among regulars.
The trade deadline is Friday at 4 p.m., EST. The Yankees are expected to be buyers, but were sellers Tuesday night dealing relievers Luis Cessa and Justin Wilson to the Cincinnati Reds for a player to be named.
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Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.