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One day after Aaron Judge started his hitting progression, the Yankees superstar took another step in his recovery from a right elbow flexor strain.
He fielded balls in right field alongside Giancarlo Stanton before the Yankees defeated the Rays, 5-4, in 11 innings on Wednesday night in The Bronx, though he didn’t make any throws and instead just flipped them underhand toward the infield.
But for a brief stretch pregame, the Yankees got a glimpse of their Plan A — Judge eventually being an option for the field again — and their Plan B, with Stanton a potential backup plan for starts in right if Judge needs to serve as designated hitter for longer than expected after returning and throwing again.
The Yankees hope Judge, who hasn’t played since Friday and received a PRP injection the following day, will just spend the minimum on the 10-day injured list and return as their DH when eligible on Tuesday.
Stanton made light throws during the pregame workout amid a stretch when he’ll continue to test if playing the field for the first time since 2023 is a possibility.
He told The Post’s Peter Botte on Sunday that he felt as if he could play the outfield and “be fine,” but for a player who has struggled with injuries — including this year, when he missed most of the first half of the season with tendinitis in both elbows — throughout his career, any extra movement comes with an added risk.
“Think he’s eager to do it and start introducing it and we just gotta see,” manager Aaron Boone said of Stanton, who went 1-for-5 with a late RBI single Wednesday.
Judge, who first experienced pain while making a throw last Tuesday and felt it again Friday, was hitting .342 with a 1.160 OPS and 37 homers at the time of his injury.
Jasson Domínguez, who has struggled in left field, made a leaping catch up against the wall in the 10th — when the Rays had the bases loaded — to limit Tampa Bay to just a sacrifice fly.
Domínguez said he has practiced catches like that and felt like he had done it before as he neared the wall, while Boone said “that game gets away right there [without the catch].”
“Hell of a play, man,” Ryan McMahon said. “I mean, it’s so uncomfortable getting close to a wall or something like that, and I feel like he went into it with no fear.”
Tim Hill, who picked up the win by pitching a perfect 11th, was originally on a down day after throwing in two of the past three games.
He hasn’t allowed an earned run in 25 of his past 30 appearances.
The Yankees optioned J.C. Escarra to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pregame to clear room for outfielder Austin Slater, making Ben Rice the backup catcher for now.
Rice started working at catcher again when Stanton neared a return from his injury in June and spent time there in the minors, and he has appeared in 13 games (with six starts) behind the plate for the Yankees.
Boone said Luis Gil feels “ready to go” after his fourth rehab start Tuesday, and he would be lined up to start Sunday after collecting a 5.65 ERA across four rehab outings while recovering from a lat strain.
Logan Paul was on the field pregame and spoke with Judge. … The Yankees held a moment of silence for former Cubs star and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who died Monday at 65 years old after a battle with prostate cancer, before the game.
