NEW YORK -- One night after being removed for a pinch-hitter, Aaron Judge was not in the Yankees¡¯ lineup on Wednesday as the slugger receives treatment for ¡°lower body tightness,¡± manager Aaron Boone said.

Judge was lifted in favor of Mike Tauchman during the sixth inning of Tuesday¡¯s 9-6 victory over the Braves. Boone said that Judge is dealing with the effects of playing four games on the artificial turf at Tropicana Field this past weekend.

¡°It's something that I've tried to be mindful of and aware of,¡± Boone said. ¡°Judge is a guy that always wants to post. He always wants to play, even when he's playing through things.¡±

Boone said that Judge tried to talk his way into the lineup on Wednesday, but Boone factored Thursday¡¯s off-day into his decision, as well as an upcoming series against the division-rival Red Sox.

Asked to elaborate on Judge¡¯s problem areas, Boone mentioned his hips, calves and hamstrings.

¡°It's kind of all over the lower body where he's dealing with some rigor,¡± Boone said. ¡°The hips and down into the hamstrings and calves. I think it's a result of the four games¡¯ pounding in three days down in Tampa.¡±

Sidelined in February and March due to what was eventually revealed to be a right rib fracture and a collapsed lung, stemming from a September 2019 dive in the Yankee Stadium outfield, Judge¡¯s improved health has been thought to be a major component in his early-season success.

Judge leads the Majors in homers (nine) and slugging percentage (.758), and he's tied with the Rockies¡¯ Charlie Blackmon for the lead in RBIs (20). Judge has appeared in all 17 of the Yankees¡¯ games entering play on Wednesday, batting .290/.343/.758 with a 201 OPS+.

Boone was asked if he believes that Judge will be able to return to the Yankees¡¯ lineup on Friday, when the club opens a weekend series with Boston.

¡°I hope so,¡± Boone said. ¡°But in a lot of ways, that¡¯s a long way from now. So let's just kind of get through [Wednesday]. Obviously, [Thursday] will be valuable in being able to just treat it and get some rest. We'll see where we're at.¡±