KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Juan Soto was back in the New York Yankees’ lineup as the designated hitter against the Kansas City Royals on Monday night after missing a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers because of left forearm inflammation.
Aaron Judge, who started the Yankees’ first 67 games, was given a night off from the starting lineup.
Soto was in the No. 2 slot and Anthony Rizzo was left out of the lineup for the second straight game.
Soto is batting .318 with 17 home runs, 53 RBIs and a 1.027 OPS. The 25-year-old outfielder, acquired in December from San Diego, can become a free agent after the World Series.
A scan Friday did not reveal any problems with his elbow, the Yankees said.
Judge, the Yankees captain, is batting .305 with a major league-leading 24 homers, 59 RBIs and a big league-leading 1.139 OPS.
Rizzo, in a 1-for-29 slide this month, is hitting .224 with seven homers and 25 RBIs.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
