Judge still not hitting; Romine cleared to play

NEW YORK -- Hoping a cortisone shot would alleviate the pain in his fractured left wrist, Aaron Judge planned to swing a bat this weekend, in some fashion. Doing so would've marked a tangible step in his return to the Yankees lineup for the slugger who has been sidelined since July 27.
But that did not happen. Judge revealed after Sunday afternoon's 10-2 win over the Blue Jays that he's still yet to transition to hitting drills, citing "a little bit of pain" that's prohibited him from doing so.
"It's still fractured," Judge said of his wrist. "It usually takes four to six weeks for that kind of thing to heal, so we're waiting for that six weeks."

In the meantime, the Yankees remain in a holding pattern, checking with Judge daily to gauge his progress. Judge's wrist is healthy enough to throw; twice this weekend, he tested it without issue by playing catch. But at this point, the risk of a setback remains too great for Judge to attempt even dry swings, which do not involve a ball.
The Yankees had hoped the cortisone shot Judge received on Tuesday would have allowed him to clear the dry-swing hurdle this weekend.
"It's been plenty of time," for the shot to take effect, Judge said.
Symptom-free, Romine cleared
No stranger to concussions or the lingering symptoms they can elicit, Austin Romine didn't even want to utter the word Sunday morning. Doing so, Romine figured, was unnecessary. There was no reason to name the condition that he and the Yankees believe he luckily avoided.
"It's scary to feel," Romine said, of being struck in the mask by a foul ball in Saturday's win over the Blue Jays. "But it doesn't feel like the other times when I did have a concussion."

A litany of tests run on Romine over the past day, the Yankees say, appear to have confirmed his self-diagnosis. Though Romine was removed an inning after the Richard Ureña foul ball forced him to stagger backward behind the plate, and after he lobbied to remain in the game, Romine passed concussion protocol late Saturday afternoon. Romine said he then enjoyed "a great night sleep" before reporting to Yankee Stadium. He then passed another series of tests, putting him on track to return to the field on Tuesday in Miami.
The Yankees are hoping he can. Adding an emergency catcher would require a 40-man roster move, as the Yankees are already playing without everyday backstop Gary Sánchez.
A career backup, Romine has hit .227/.256/.391 with four home runs and 16 RBIs in 34 games (30 starts) playing every day in place of Sanchez, who has missed all but three games since June 24. Romine said he'd gone through concussion protocol "a few times" over his professional career, now in its 12th season. He was diagnosed with a concussion late in 2013, his rookie year, and he subsequently missed the final three weeks of that season and the entire postseason.
"I think I have a bruise on my chin. I'm amazed, because that ball kind of hit me good," Romine said. "Everything is good to go, I just feel like I got hit in the face by 98 [mph]."
Gary getting close
As expected, Sanchez prepared to leave for the Yankees' complex in Tampa, Fla., on Sunday. Once there, several early-week workouts will lay the groundwork for Sanchez to begin a rehab assignment, which Boone said could commence as early as Wednesday. Out since reaggravating his groin strain on July 23, Sanchez has "ramped up" his workouts in recent days, running with increased intensity and completing full batting practices without any issues.

Sanchez's first game action is expected to come in the Gulf Coast League, so he can remain rooted at the club's Tampa complex before hopping to another affiliate to face better competition.
"Hopefully, we'll be on the fast track at that point," Boone said.
Will Stanton sit?
There was a chance, given his sore left hamstring, that Giancarlo Stanton would spend his return to Miami -- where the Yankees are set to begin a two-game series Tuesday -- on the bench. But Boone said Sunday that he is "optimistic" Stanton will be able to play "at some point" under National League rules this week, possibly in both games. Stanton has been batting exclusively at designated hitter since Aug. 8, in an attempt to keep the minor tightness in his hamstring from getting worse.
"If all goes according to plan, I'll play both," Stanton said.

Part of that plan is Stanton's desire to contribute against the Marlins, with whom he spent his first eight Major League seasons. Another part is necessity. The Yankees were already stretched thin in the outfield before Didi Gregorius suffered a bruised left heel on Sunday. The injury could land the shortstop on the disabled list. If it does, Gleyber Torres would shift to shortstop, pushing Neil Walker back to his natural position at second base. Walker had been playing right field in Stanton's place.
Stanton will enter the series sitting on 299 career big flies, with a chance to reach a milestone in the ballpark he's homered in 112 times before.
"That would be really cool if I did that," Stanton said.