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Yankees' Judge needs MRI on oblique, likely heading to IL

Steven Ryan / Getty Images Sport / Getty

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge left Saturday's game against the Kansas City Royals with a left oblique injury and is set to undergo an MRI, the team announced.

Judge grabbed his side after swinging and putting a ball into play. The two-time All-Star proceeded gingerly to first base before medical staff attended to him. Tyler Wade entered the game as a pinch runner soon after and took over in right field.

Though the prognosis is not yet known, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was not optimistic about the outlook, saying Judge "probably" wouldn't avoid a stint on the injured list, according to Lindsey Adler of The Athletic.

The Yankees expect infielder Thairo Estrada to take Judge's place on the roster for Sunday's game, the team announced Saturday. The second baseman owns a .273/.319/.455 slash line with two homers in 10 games at Triple-A this year.

The beleaguered Yankees already have eight position players on the injured list, including outfielders Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, and Jacoby Ellsbury.

Judge, 26, had posted a .275/.400/.478 slash line with four home runs and two stolen bases through the first 19 games of the 2019 season entering Saturday's contest against the Royals.

The runner-up for AL MVP in his rookie season, Judge was held to 112 games last year due largely to a fractured wrist.

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