Aaron Judge gives Yankees major injury scare as he EXITS game vs Orioles after getting hit on the left hand by 94mph fastball

Aaron Judge gave the Yankees a major injury scare on Tuesday night when he was hit on the left hand by a pitch from Albert Suarez in the game against Baltimore Orioles.

Judge stayed out on the field and went round for a run but after giving his teammates a couple of right-handed fist bumps in the dugout, headed straight into the clubhouse.

Dodgers star Mookie Betts fractured his left hand in an identical incident over the weekend. Judge had brief treatment from two trainers and did appear in pain before ultimately making the walk to first.

Judge reappeared at the top of the fourth and took his place in center field but just as Yankee Stadium thought it was safe to breathe a collective sigh of relief, Trent Grisham took his place in the batting lineup as pinch hitter.

Any injury at all for Judge would be a disaster for the Yankees, who went into Tuesday's game in New York with the best record in baseball as the first team to hit 50 wins.

Judge has hit 26 home runs so far this season for the Yankees and his partnership with Juan Soto in the batting order has made the team one of the favorites to win the World Series. 

He is on course for another season that could put him in contention for the MVP award and, if he stays healthy, could even rival his record-setting 62 home run season in 2022.

The timing is also frustrating for the Yankees given that Cy Young winning pitcher Gerrit Cole is scheduled to return from injury and make his first start of the season on Wednesday. 

The Yankees didn't have manager Aaron Boone in the dugout on Tuesday - he missed the game to attend his son's graduation. 

It also comes days after first baseman Anthony Rizzo fractured his arm over the weekend against the Boston Red Sox. He could miss up to eight weeks.

There was more concern for the Yankees at the bottom of the fifth when Gleyber Torres was also hit by a pitch. Baltimore pitcher Suarez had been taken out of the game for Keegan Akin, who struck Torres with only his third pitch.