Yankees' Aaron Judge 'Pretty Sure' He'll Play on 2024 MLB Opening Day amid Injury

As the New York Yankees await word on Gerrit Cole's elbow, they got some encouraging news about Aaron Judge after he didn't play in either of the team's split-squad spring training game on Monday.

Judge told reporters he's "pretty sure" he will be ready for Opening Day after undergoing an MRI on his abdominal area that came back clean.

Judge was removed from Sunday's spring game against the Atlanta Braves after two at-bats. The move sparked some concern from Yankees fans because he was the only starter taken out at that point.

The five-time All-Star said his early departure was "planned" because Yankees manager Aaron Boone asked him prior to the game if he was "cool" with two at-bats so Trent Grisham could get in the game.

Boone told reporters on Monday that Judge was "a little mid-spring beat up with all the work they do in the cage and the back fields."

The initial concern was Judge's toe injury, which happened in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, may have been causing problems. He told reporters last month the toe will likely require "constant maintenance" for the rest of his career.

Judge said he's unlikely to take swings with a bat until later this week because "there's no real need to push it" right now.

The Yankees announced on Monday that Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, had an MRI on his right elbow because he was experiencing difficulty bouncing back between starts. The team has yet to provide any follow-up information about the results.

Judge hit .267/.406/.613 with 37 homers and 75 RBI in 367 at-bats last season. He missed 56 games in 2023 after only sitting out 19 games in the previous two seasons combined.

If the Yankees want to take things slow to ensure Judge is ready for the start of the regular season, they have time on their side. They don't open the 2024 campaign until March 28 against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.