YANKEES
Judge sitting out
NEW YORK — Slumping slugger Aaron Judge is getting a couple of days off, and the New York Yankees hope the rest will help him find his swing.
Judge was out of the lineup Monday night as the Yankees faced 2014 American League Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber and the Cleveland Indians in the opener of a three-game series. Aaron Hicks was set to play right field in Judge’s place.
New York Manager Joe Girardi said Judge will also sit out tonight, and the plan is to avoid even using him off the bench. Girardi said the team has tried several things to get Judge going at the plate, and now it’s time to try this.
Judge leads the American League with 37 home runs and a.581 slugging percentage, but has dropped off dramatically since winning the Home Run Derby during the All-Star break. Judge is batting .179 with 7 home runs and 16 RBI in the second half, dropping his overall average 49 points to .280.
ROCKIES
Desmond activated
DENVER — The Colorado Rockies activated outfielder/infielder Ian Desmond from the disabled list, where he’s been for the last month with a strained right calf.
Desmond is hitting .285 with 5 HRs and 32 RBI. He’s struggled to stay healthy this season after signing a five-year, $70 million deal in December. Desmond started the season on the DL after he broke his left hand in spring training. He also missed time in early July with a strained right calf, which he reinjured on July 25. Desmond, 31, has played in 65 games in 2017.
To make room for Desmond on the roster, the Rockies placed outfielder Raimel Tapia to AAA Albuquerque.
PIRATES
Frazier sidelined
CHICAGO — The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed infielder Adam Frazier on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. The Pirates also recalled outfielder Jordan Luplow and right-hander Dovydas Neverauskas from AAA Indianapolis before Monday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs. Right-hander Johnny Barbato was sent down to their top farm club.
Frazier left Sunday’s 5-2 win at Cincinnati after he grounded into a double play in the third inning. Frazier, 25, is batting .280 with 4 HRs and 45 RBI in 104 games in his second major league season.
Neverauskas made his major league debut in April. He is 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA in 9 relief appearances with the Pirates.
Luplow is looking for his first major league hit. He went 0 for 9 in four games with Pittsburgh earlier this summer.
METS
Cespedes out for season
NEW YORK — The New York Mets have terminated David Wright’s rehab assignment because of shoulder pain and ruled Yoenis Cespedes out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury.
The banged-up Mets announced Monday that Wright was returning to New York to be re-examined later this week. Wright played third base Friday and Saturday at Class A St. Lucie and decided to have the shoulder pain checked by doctors.
Cespedes strained his right hamstring running the bases in Washington on Friday night. An MRI confirmed the strain, which includes a recovery time of six weeks, ending Cespedes’ season.
The Mets also said outfielder Michael Conforto will have a second opinion Tuesday on his dislocated and torn left shoulder after being examined in New York on Monday.