Notes: Judge sits for back spasms; Sevy MRI

Aaron Judge was held out of Sunday’s lineup against the Phillies as the Yankees outfielder receives treatment for back spasms, manager Aaron Boone said.

Boone said that Judge was experiencing the spasms on Saturday, when he “struggled a little bit to get his real good swing off” while going 1-for-5 with a run scored and three strikeouts in the Yankees’ 8-7, 10-inning loss at Citizens Bank Park.

“He was able to get through the game, but he was still sore this morning waking up,” Boone said. “He’ll continue to get treatment all morning and during the game. Hopefully he’ll be an option for us late.”

Judge has been the Yankees’ most productive position player this season, leading the team in all slash line categories (.289/.388/.532), plus runs (36), hits (63), home runs (15) and RBIs (35). His 61 games played are tied for the most on the team, with DJ LeMahieu set to play his 61st on Sunday.

“Hopefully with the off-day [Monday], he’ll be good to go starting the series against Toronto [on Tuesday],” Boone said.

Results pending
Luis Severino is scheduled to have an MRI performed on Sunday after the right-hander injured his right groin delivering a pitch in a Minor League rehab start for High-A Hudson Valley at Brooklyn on Saturday. Severino will be examined by team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad on Monday in New York.

“It’s just frustrating for everyone,” Boone said. “We know how hard Sevy has worked, what a long road to get to this point. Hopefully it’s not something that is too big a setback, but we won’t know until later.”

Summer in the city
As the Yankees’ longest-tenured player, Brett Gardner has enjoyed some of the most memorable seasons in recent history. He has also experienced a few not-so-good ones, and as the Bombers plod into mid-June, the 37-year-old continues to believe that better days are ahead for the current squad.

“It’s something we’ve talked about quite often, just trying to be as prepared as possible, and then once we do that, we feel good about our chances going out there and competing,” Gardner said. “Up to this point, we have not played as consistently as we would like, but I still love the group of guys we have in that room. I think we're capable of more than we've showed up to this point.”

In the wake of a season-ending injury to Aaron Hicks, as well as Giancarlo Stanton’s apparent inability to play the outfield, playing time has been more abundant than initially expected for Gardner. Sunday marked his 28th start in center field, having also started 13 games in left.

“With Aaron going down, there was more opportunity for me and some other guys to step up,” Gardner said. “I’m just trying to continue to work, continue to try and put myself in a good position and go out there and help the team win. I’ve had a lot of inconsistency, but the last few weeks have been a lot better, and I feel good at the plate.”

He said it
“He’s a really hard worker. He’s a guy that adapts really quickly. He’s a guy that I would never bet against.” -- Gardner, on Miguel Andújar’s progress in the outfield

Bombers bits
First baseman Luke Voit commenced a Minor League rehab assignment on Sunday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Boone said that the plan is for Voit to rehab for about one week.

This date in Yankees history
June 13, 2003: Roger Clemens recorded both his 300th win and his 4,000th career strikeout in the Yankees’ 5-2 victory over the Cardinals at Yankee Stadium. Clemens was the 21st pitcher to reach 300 wins and the third to record 4,000 strikeouts.