In his weekly interview with Talkin’ Yanks on Tuesday afternoon, Yankees manager Aaron Boone suggested that the next game against the Royals could see the duo of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge in the matchday squad.
“We’ll see,” Boone remarked.
Yankees announce Juan Soto and Aaron Judge in the lineup vs. Rays
Hours later, the Yankees confirmed the previous info: Soto and Judge will be playing this Tuesday.
Juan Soto returned to the Yankees‘ lineup last Monday as a designated hitter after being sidelined for three days due to discomfort in his left forearm.
In an interview with Yahoo, Juan Soto revealed that, despite playing as a DH, he was pleased to have completed some swings. However, he acknowledged that his arm discomfort was taking longer than expected to fully heal, although he has seen significant improvement.
“I did all my treatment early today and I went to the cages making sure everything went fine and it did. I’ve been seeing a lot of improvement. Definitely, it’s not going to go away that quick.” said Soto.
Boone recounts hilarious story involving Juan Soto’s injury and Alex Verdugo
In the same interview, Boone also revealed that Alex Verdugo, who replaced Juan Soto immediately after his injury, had a surprise reaction upon learning he would be playing.
Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo has established himself as a star alongside Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. Last Thursday, Verdugo was expected to sit out the game, but was called into action midway when Soto had to leave.
Boone mentioned that Verdugo thought it was a single joke.
“So, the biggest thing that night is I’m going to tell [Verdugo] ‘Hey, you’re in the game.’ I had given him the night [off] and I’m telling him ‘Hey, you’re in the game,’ and he thinks I’m messing with him. And I’m trying to convince him, I’m like, ‘Dude, you are in this game.’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.’
Regarding Juan Soto’s return last Monday, Boone also confirmed that Juan Soto had been experiencing discomfort, as earlier mentioned. During a rain delay, Soto underwent an exam, leading to the decision to bench him until an MRI could be performed.
After three days out, the Yankees announced Juan Soto’s return to the lineup while giving Judge a day off. Soto went 1-for-3 with a walk as the designated hitter in a 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night, following a three-game absence due to forearm inflammation.
Juan Soto was placed in the No. 2 slot, while the struggling Anthony Rizzo was left out of the lineup for a second consecutive game. Soto singled and scored on Alex Verdugo’s single during a two-run first inning.
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