Aaron Judge will undoubtedly be in Texas for the All-Star Game, but he won’t be in the Home Run Derby.
Judge said Saturday he would not participate in the event, before hitting his MLB-leading 28th homer in the bottom of the first of the Yankees 8-3 win against Atlanta at the Stadium.
“I’m not doing it,’’ Judge said.
He added that people surrounding the event have asked if he would participate, but declined.
“There’s no need this year,’’ Judge said.
Asked if he was finished with the event for good, Judge said he would do it again.
“I’m not done with it,’’ said Judge, who won it in 2017 as a rookie. “Once it’s back in New York, I’ll be there.”
He’s also hit 24 homers in his last 50 games and was asked to compare this season to his record-setting 2022 season: “It’s tough to say. Each year is so different.”
Judge is still wearing a pad on his left hand after getting hit there Tuesday.
Gerrit Cole will start Tuesday’s Subway Series opener against the Mets on Tuesday and Luis Gil is slated for Wednesday’s game, Aaron Boone said, but the manager added the team hasn’t ruled out bumping Gil back a day to pitch in Toronto on Thursday.
“There was some consideration of, ‘Do we bump him an extra day there?’ ” Boone said. “We’ll keep talking about that.”
But Boone added the team was hesitant to move anyone else around in the rotation and they have off days each of the next three Mondays before the All-Star Break.
Despite throwing 78 pitches in 4 ²/₃ innings in Friday’s loss, Yoendrys Gomez remained on the roster instead of being optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
“We felt he reset us [Friday] night,” Boone said of the taxed bullpen. “He gives us a quality option from a long standpoint.”
Though the 24-year-old remained in the pen Saturday, Boone said it would be “day-by-day” for Gomez, among others.
“We’ll keep evaluating it,’’ Boone said. … Boone was tossed for arguing a questionable called third strike call by home plate umpire Derek Thomas.
Gleyber Torres had an RBI double in his first game back after being removed from Thursday’s game with groin tightness.
DJ LeMahieu wasn’t in the lineup Saturday and since his return May 28, only four players in the majors have a lower slugging percentage than his .194 mark.
All 12 of his hits so far this season have been singles.
Not surprisingly, he’s making less hard contact than at any other point in his career.
His strikeout rate has also skyrocketed the past two seasons.
