New York's bigger concern than any single start is the state of its roster. Aaron Judge left Wednesday's loss to Minnesota with right lower leg tightness, just his seventh game back since a 99-day absence for a rib fracture, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone said afterward the team is hoping they caught it early, per CBS Sports. The bullpen has already absorbed real losses — Fernando Cruz and Kervin Castro are done for the year, and Ryan Weathers is still working his way back from a forearm strain — so any further attrition in front of a possible AL East chase gets expensive fast.
- Day-To-DayAaron Judge (RF) — Judge was removed from Wednesday's game against the Twins in the sixth inning due to right lower leg tightness, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.09/16
- 10-Day-ILTrent Grisham (CF) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Grisham (hamstring) is "up to a pretty decent speed" in his running progression and is also doing other baseball activities, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.09/16
- 10-Day-ILJazz Chisholm Jr. (2B) — The Yankees placed Chisholm on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a right thumb sprain.09/10
- 15-Day-ILRyan Weathers (SP) — Weathers (forearm) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.09/14
- 15-Day-ILFernando Cruz (RP) — Cruz (elbow) expects to resume a throwing program by the end of this week, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.09/08
- 60-Day-ILKervin Castro (RP) — The Yankees transferred Castro (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.08/26
- 60-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton (DH) — The Yankees transferred Stanton (calf) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.08/25
- 60-Day-ILTyler Locklear (1B) — The Diamondbacks optioned Locklear to Triple-A Reno on Monday.09/12
- 60-Day-ILRyan Thompson (RP) — The Diamondbacks transferred Thompson (back) to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.09/01
- 60-Day-ILA.J. Puk (RP) — Manager Torey Lovullo said Friday that Puk (elbow/shoulder) will remain shut down for the remainder of the season, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.08/07
- 60-Day-ILAndrew Saalfrank (RP) — Saalfrank (shoulder) has begun a throwing program, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.07/18
- 60-Day-ILCristian Mena (RP) — Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Monday that Mena underwent surgery on his right shoulder and will be sidelined for the rest of the season, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.06/01
Arizona has lost 2 straight and sits at 1-4 over its last 5 games, a rough stretch for a club that entered September still hanging around the NL Wild Card race. The Diamondbacks have taken 1 of the first 3 in their set against Miami, and dropping series at home is exactly the kind of thing that buries a fringe contender in late September. Everything from the lineup to the bullpen has looked shakier than the record alone suggests.
New York, meanwhile, is 88-64 and playoff-bound regardless of how the East race shakes out, but Boone's club has gone just 3-2 over its last 5 after dropping the finale in Minnesota. A weekend at Chase Field against a desperate home team, without full certainty on Judge's availability, is not the cleanest spot for a club trying to hold serve down the stretch.