Aaron Judge followed a mammoth 467-foot home run with three doubles, driving in a pair of runs for the New York Yankees in a 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.
With his second career game of four extra-base hits, Judge moved into some rare Yankees company, per MLB’s Sarah Langs:
“most games with 4+ extra-base hits, Yankees history: Lou Gehrig: 5 Joe DiMaggio: 5 Aaron Judge: 2 Babe Ruth: 2”
The 32-year-old Judge entered Wednesday’s game slashing .236/.370/.490 (144 OPS+) with 10 home runs and a pair of stolen bases. His contributions to the Yankees have been worth an estimated 1.5 Wins Above Replacement. Judge had been particularly warm as of late, hitting for a .317/.451/.707 slash line in 12 games to begin May after a slow start to the season.
Judge’s history-matching game is the 28th in Yankees franchise history. It’s the first since last September, when Judge notched four extra-base hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Behind Judge’s increasingly hot bat, the Yankees now have a 29-15 record on the season, putting them in first place in the American League East, a half-game up on the Baltimore Orioles.
Yankees get a pair of injury updates
New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) throws during a bullpen session during spring training practice at George M. Steinbrenner Field. © Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
New York got some good news on Wednesday when it was revealed that both DJ LeMahieu and Gerrit Cole are getting closer to making their eventual returns to the Yankees.
LeMahieu is set to begin a rehab assignment at the Double-A level on either Thursday or Friday. This will be the first baseman’s second rehab assignment, as his first was cut short due to renewed soreness in his foot as he works his way back from a non-displaced fracture in his foot, which came after he struck it with a foul ball.
LeMahieu hasn’t played in two months, and his previous rehab assignment issues will cause a delay in plans. However, the good news is that the Yankees infielder is at least back on track.
As for Cole, the reigning Cy Young Award winner threw a 36-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday. It marked his fourth bullpen session and came after he threw 29 pitches on Saturday.
Cole is working his way back from elbow nerve inflammation, an injury that popped up during Yankees spring training and has kept him out all season. He is looking to advance to “two-up” bullpen sessions, in which he would pitch an inning, sit, and then throw more pitches – essentially simulating a second inning of work on the mound. When that jump will be made is not yet known.
Neither LeMahieu nor Cole have a direct timetable for return. The infielder seems much closer than the pitcher, based on the limited information that has been revealed. But even without both players, New York has found ways to stack wins in 2024.
