Big decision looming for Yankees regarding status of Aaron Judge

The New York Yankees lost star Aaron Judge to a hip injury earlier this week, but the slugger could be in danger of missing even more time. 

Ahead of the Yankees' matchup with the Texas Rangers on Saturday, manager Aaron Boone confirmed that Judge is dealing with a mild hip strain while adding that the team will decide whether to place him on the injured list by Monday. 

Boone said Judge had made "a lot of improvements," but the team is taking the cautious approach, officially listing him as day-to-day. 

"Today, he's itching. He wants to hit and do everything," Boone told Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network. "We've kind of held him back from that, so we'll see where we're at [Sunday] and on into Monday. 

Judge exited Thursday's series opener with Texas dealing with what many believed to be a hand or wrist injury. However, after the game, Judge said he was experiencing hip discomfort, revealing that his "whole right side" was locked up after sliding head-first into third base Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins. 

Through 26 games, Judge has six home runs and 14 RBI, slashing .261/.352/.511. 

If Judge hits the IL, it could be bad news for the Yankees, who are already falling behind in the crowded AL East. 

Entering play Saturday, the Yankees (15-2) were only 1.5 games better than the Red Sox (14-14) for last in the AL East. While it's still early, the Yankees trail the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays (22-5) by seven games and are also looking up at the Baltimore Orioles (17-9) and Toronto Blue Jays (18-9).