Aaron Judge leaves game vs. Rangers due to injury

Injuries are already becoming a tiresome narrative in New York a month into the season and the Yankees received another scare. 

Aaron Judge left the game Thursday with what the team described as hip discomfort, despite initially looking like he had re-injured his wrist. 

He will likely miss the remainder of the weekend series at the Texas Rangers as a precautionary move. 

The concern started Wednesday in Minnesota. After doubling in the second inning, Judge attempted to steal third only to tumble headfirst into the tag. In doing so the immediate concern appeared to be his wrist, which looked as though it bent back underneath his torso during the slide. He stayed in the game and picked up another single a few innings later -- joining Lou Gehrig and Jerry Mumphrey as only the third Yankees to have three hits and three RBIs on their birthday. 

On Thursday, in the series opener at Texas, Judge struck out in each of his first two at-bats. Following the second, he was noticeably flexing the same hand that he appeared to hurt the day prior. Judge would stay in the game to play the field for another two innings before Oswaldo Cabrera replaced him. 

Judge told reporters, including MLB.com's Dave Sessions that he was still sore from Wednesday's slide. 

"It was just a little grab in the hip area -- after that headfirst slide ... the whole right side has been a little locked up. The culmination of having that [slide] and a couple of swings today, I just really couldn't get it loose."

Manager Aaron Boone made the decision to pull Judge from the game, according to the superstar outfielder. 

"It wasn't anything crazy, that's why I wanted to keep it going, but Booney advised against that. He said, 'Get some work done, see how it feels and we'll get back out there.' The whole right side of the body, when you have a pretty bad slide like that, you feel lit the next day. You don't want to come out of any game, but I'm not too concerned about it."

Judge is hitting .261/.352/.511 with six home runs on the year, appearing in all 26 of the Yankees games. 

New York is hoping Harrison Bader will return in May. Josh Donaldson is on a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset. There could be reinforcements coming. Boone and the Yankees are keeping their fingers crossed that Judge won't be joining them on the injured list.