A look at what's happening around the majors Saturday:
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RULING PENDING
Aaron Judge's health is again a concern for the New York Yankees. The star slugger has missed two games with soreness in his left side, and manager Aaron Boone wasn't sure if Judge would be able to play Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays. The 2017 AL Rookie of the Year was off to a hot start, and New York is hoping that won't be interrupted by a trip to the injured list. Judge missed 142 games spanning 2018-20 for various injuries.
New York third baseman Gio Urshela also missed Friday's game due to his reaction to a coronavirus vaccine. Yankees RHP Domingo Germán (0-1, 9.00) is set to face Rays RHP Chis Archer (0-1, 13.50).
CLOSE CONTACT
Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernández is on the COVID-19 injured list after he was exposed to someone with a positive coronavirus case outside of the team. Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said Friday the team was conducting contact tracing and testing in accordance with Major League Baseball’s guidelines after Hernández’s close contact.
Left-hander Ryan Borucki also went on the injured list with vaccine side effects, which included a fever and fatigue. He was sent home after arriving at the ballpark for Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels.
DEGROM DAY
Jacob deGrom (0-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his second start of the season for the Mets, and the two-time Cy Young Award winner should be rested after a tidy first outing. He pitched six scoreless innings against Philadelphia on Monday, using just 77 pitches to strike out seven. He'll face the Marlins, who have had surprising success against deGrom — the right-hander is 10-8 with a 3.00 ERA in 26 starts against Miami, his highest ERA against any NL East opponent by nearly half a run.
Miami youngster Trevor Rogers (0-1, 4.50) makes his second start of the season after struggling against St. Louis on Monday.
CRUISE CONTROL
Yermín Mercedes begins his second full week as a big leaguer having already made a big impression. The White Sox designated hitter opened 8 for 8 and hasn't cooled much since. He enters a game against Kansas City 15 for 27 (.556) in 2021, including a 485-foot homer Wednesday that was the longest in the majors this season.
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