AARON JUDGE EXITS YANKEES GAME WITH LEG TIGHTNESS

Aaron Judge left the New York Yankees' game against the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning on Wednesday after appearing to grimace on the field. Manager Aaron Boone withdrew him for the rest of the match, with Heliot Ramos replacing him. The Yankees said around an hour later that Judge had exited with tightness in his lower right leg. Judge had gone hitless in two at-bats against Twins starter Zebby Matthews before leaving the field. New York lost the game 5-4 in extra innings.

Judge told reporters he first felt discomfort in his lower leg during the first inning but kept playing because of the game's importance late in the season. He said he discussed it with the team and decided it was the right move to come out rather than risk further damage, adding that he could not pinpoint it to a specific play. The Yankees captain is recovering from a stress fracture in his first right rib that kept him out for 84 games, and skipped a rehab assignment to rejoin the team directly once cleared. Former Yankee Joe Girardi, working as a broadcaster for the game, said "there has to be an issue" after watching Judge's exit.

The Yankees had Thursday off and said Judge would receive treatment over the following days before any decision was made on his status. Boone said after the game, "We're not going to speculate one way or the other. We'll just see how he responds." Anthony Volpe hit a double in the ninth inning to level the score before New York lost in extra innings. Judge has won three American League MVP awards and eight All-Star selections.