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NEW YORK — The Yankees placed captain Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list Monday, delivering a big blow to a team currently sitting in last place.

Judge is dealing with a mild right hip strain, an injury the Yankees have been patient with. The IL move is retroactive to Friday, when the star outfielder first missed time. He is eligible to be activated for the May 8 series opener against the Oakland Athletics. To replace Judge, the Yankees called up outfielder Franchy Cordero.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the team wanted to keep a big-picture mindset when thinking about Judge’s health this season.

“We don’t want to put him in a position to where he goes out and compromises somewhere else and the injury becomes something else or worse,” Boone said. “That’s the biggest thing.”

Judge underwent an MRI on his hip after feeling a “grab” on Thursday. He has not participated in any baseball activities since he was removed from Thursday’s game.

The injury stems from Wednesday, when Judge awkwardly slid into third base while trying to steal against the Minnesota Twins. The slide caused concern within the Yankees given Judge’s $360 million contract, with Boone urging the outfielder to slide feet first.

Given Judge’s reliance on his hips to generate his power stroke, the team wanted to be cautious in managing this injury.

“I think Aaron’s also being realistic, too,” Boone said. “He understands what’s at stake and that it’s important, so we’re having real conversations. I don’t want to close the door. If he’s ready to play in a couple of days, then so be it. But we also want to understand where we are in the season, whatever 130 games to go, and obviously how important he is. We want to make sure we’re in a good spot there.”

Through 26 games this season, Judge is hitting .261/.352/.511 with six homers, 14 RBIs and 0.9 WAR.

Judge, a four-time All-Star and the reigning American League MVP, is on the injured list for the seventh time since making his debut in 2016. He stayed healthy last year and hit an AL-record 62 home runs, batting .311 with 131 RBIs, tying the New York MetsPete Alonso for the major league lead.

Judge has missed 156 games on the injured list since 2016: the final 18 games of 2016 with a strained right oblique, 45 in 2018 with a broken right wrist after being hit by a pitch from the Kansas City RoyalsJakob Junis, 54 in 2019 with a strained left oblique, two stints totaling 30 games in 2020 with a strained right calf and nine games in 2021 on the COVID IL.

There could be outfield reinforcements coming soon for the injury-riddled Yankees. Boone said outfielder Harrison Bader (strained left oblique) could return before this weekend’s series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

But the Yankees also received some bad news for the bullpen Monday, shutting down reliever Jonathan Loaisiga for three to six weeks so he can undergo surgery Tuesday to remove a bone spur.

While Loaisiga has been on the IL since April 8 with elbow inflammation, a visit to team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad revealed a more serious injury.

“It wasn’t bothering him throwing and then he came in and had the swelling, which they think is related to that spur,” Boone said. “So they gotta get that outta there.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Twins no longer for sale; owners eye investors

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Twins no longer for sale; owners eye investors

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins are no longer for sale, executive chair Joe Pohlad announced Wednesday on behalf of his family.

After exploring a variety of options over the past 10 months, the Pohlad family will remain the principal owner of the club and add new investors instead. Carl Pohlad, a banking magnate and the late grandfather of Joe Pohlad, purchased the Twins in 1984 for $44 million.

“For more than four decades, our family has had the privilege of owning the Minnesota Twins. This franchise has become part of our family story, as it has for our employees, our players, this community, and Twins fans everywhere,” Joe Pohlad said in his announcement. “Over the past several months, we explored a wide range of potential investment and ownership opportunities. Our focus throughout has been on what’s best for the long-term future of the Twins. We have been fully open to all possibilities.”

Pohlad said the family was in the process of adding two “significant” limited partnership groups to bring in fresh ideas, bolster critical partnerships and shape the long-term vision of the franchise that relocated to Minnesota in 1961 after originating as the Washington Senators. Details about the new investors will be kept private until Major League Baseball approves of the transactions, Pohlad said.

The Twins are on track for their lowest attendance total in 16 seasons at Target Field, and an ownership-mandated payroll reduction last year, among other factors, has contributed to a dissatisfied customer base. The Twins traded 10 players off their roster leading up to the July 31 deadline, furthering the frustration. Word that the Pohlads are staying put certainly won’t help the morale of Minnesota baseball fans, who’ve been waiting for another World Series title since 1991.

“We see and hear the passion from our partners, the community, and Twins fans. That passion inspires us,” Pohlad said. “This ownership group is committed to building a winning team and culture for this region, one that Twins fans are proud to cheer for.”

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Cards’ Contreras out with foot contusion after HBP

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Cards' Contreras out with foot contusion after HBP

ST. LOUIS — Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras was not in the lineup Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies a day after he was hit in the foot by a pitch and broke his bat in frustration.

Contreras, listed as day-to-day with a right foot contusion, was hit by Rockies starter Kyle Freeland‘s sweeper in the fourth inning. He then slammed his bat into the dirt and snapped it over his knee.

As he walked toward first base, the 33-year-old threw the two pieces of the broken bat toward the Cardinals’ dugout.

He remained in the game until the sixth inning, when he was replaced by Nolan Gorman.

The Cardinals said X-rays did not reveal any structural damage in Contreras’ foot.

Contreras has been hit by a National League-leading 18 pitches this season, trailing only Randy Arozarena and Ty France.

Contreras leads the Cardinals with 16 home runs and 65 RBIs.

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Rangers’ struggling García to IL with ankle injury

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Rangers' struggling García to IL with ankle injury

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers put struggling slugger Adolis García on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left ankle and activated outfielder Evan Carter.

Texas, which is chasing an American League wild-card berth, made the moves their series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Another outfielder, Wyatt Langford, was held out of the lineup because of forearm stiffness, but manager Bruce Bochy said he could be available to pinch-hit.

García is hitting .224 with 16 homers and 64 RBIs in 116 games. He hit .176 (6 for 34) during the nine-game homestand that ended with Wednesday’s game.

Carter, who turns 23 later this month, missed 10 games because of back spasms. He was in a 4-for-34 slump when he was placed on the IL on Aug. 2. He hit .238 with four homers and 21 RBIs in 55 games before then.

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