Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he has Judge (abdomen) "penciled in" to the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge's availability for the start of the season was cast into some level of doubt when he was sent in for an MRI earlier this week, but the imaging revealed no serious injury to his abdominal area. The star outfielder was still advised to take a few days off before swinging the bat again, but assuming he checks out fine in his workouts Thursday and/or Friday, he looks like he'll draw back into the starting nine over the weekend. Fantasy managers who have yet to draft will still want to keep tabs on Judge's status in the coming days to feel more confident about investing in him late in the first round or early in the second round of drafts.

Judge will not swing a bat until later this week after undergoing an MRI on his abdomen Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The good news is the MRI came back negative, but Judge will exercise caution in staying out of the batting cage for a few days, saying "there's no real need to push it." Judge doesn't appear too concerned about the injury and still anticipates being ready for Opening Day. Still, his latest injury brings a cloud of uncertainty in the middle of fantasy draft season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Judge is "mid-spring beat up" and is not expected to return to Grapefruit League play until Wednesday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The skipper didn't elaborate any further as to what Judge is dealing with, but the fact that he expects him to be back in a couple days is a good sign. Judge -- who is expected to mostly play center field this season for the Yankees -- is 2-for-14 with a double in six games so far this spring.

Judge worked out at first base over the offseason and hasn't ruled out playing there this season if he's needed, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge has worked out at first base before and played the position during his freshman season at Fresno State, so it's not totally foreign to him. That said, it seems like it would only happen in an emergency situation. For fantasy purposes, Judge picking up first base eligibility would appear highly unlikely.

Judge said Tuesday that his right big toe injury will likely require "constant maintenance" for the remainder of his career, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge suffered a torn ligament in the toe when he collided with the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium last June, an injury which wound up costing him about two months of action. The issue healed without surgery and Judge noted Tuesday that his toe feels good, but it sounds like it will take constant work to keep it that way. Judge is expected to see the majority of his playing time in center field this season, at least until Jasson Dominguez (elbow) returns.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in an interview Friday with Foul Territory that Judge will "probably" bat third this season.

EDGE Analysis

Boone didn't commit to anything, but for the time being he's leaning toward putting Juan Soto in the two spot and Judge at three. Judge batted second for all but two of his starts last season, but an addition of a hitter the caliber of Soto requires some adjustments.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday that Judge's toe injury is "a resolved issue," Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge tore a ligament in his right big toe when he crashed through a wall June 4 at Dodger Stadium and spent about two months on the injured list, but it has healed on its own without surgery, and he should be 100 percent steering into the 2024 campaign. The 31-year-old slugger projects to serve as the Opening Day center fielder for New York, with recent trade acquisitions Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo flanking him in the corners. Trent Grisham will be an active fourth outfielder.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Judge being the team's everyday center fielder in 2024 is "in play," Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Judge is still slated for right field duty as things currently stand, but the Yanks appear nearing a trade for Juan Soto, and Soto's addition would necessitate the move. While Judge has played plenty of center field over the last three seasons, he started just 16 games there in 2023 and missed a significant chunk of time with a toe injury. It certainly would not be the ideal defensive alignment, but the Yankees appear willing to deal with it in order to add Soto's bat.

Judge is not in Sunday's lineup against the Royals.

EDGE Analysis

Judge hit .284 with eight home runs, 19 runs and 19 RBI in 26 games in September. He will head to the bench along with Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton in the season finale.

Judge went 2-for-3 with two homers, four RBI and a third run scored in Wednesday's win over the Blue Jays.

EDGE Analysis

After Judge sat out of Tuesday's contest, he returned to the lineup with a bang Wednesday, driving in four of the Yankees' six runs with a pair of two-run homers. The 31-year-old outfielder now has five home runs in his last four games after hitting just one in his prior 17 contests. Judge is up to 37 homers on the season, tied for eighth-most in the league, despite spending nearly two months on the IL. He's batting .269 with a 1.029 OPS, 77 runs scored and 75 RBI across 445 plate appearances.