Gameday Preview (Monday): Rasmussen, Rays Take on Yankees Minus Slugger Aaron Judge

NEW YORK — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has already won two American League Most Valuable Player awards, and he was on pace to win a third this year, but now he's been sidelined with a flexor strain in his right arm.

Judge was placed on the 10-day injured list over the weekend, and won't play during the Yankees' four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays. that starts on Monday. He is far and away the Yankees' best player, so this is a huge break for the Rays, who have been struggling of late.

All-Star pitcher Drew Rasmussen (7-5, 2.93 ERA) is starting for the Rays in the first game, so the Rays are hoping to get hot in a hurry after getting swept in Cincinnati. Rasmussen understands full well how much the Yankees will miss Judge, but he also know how tough the rest of that lineup is.

“That lineup is incredibly deep,'' Rasmussen said on Sunday. "Obviously, no team can replace what Judge brings to the lineup day in and day out with his production. It’s still a really talented group with a lot of experience, and they know what they’re doing. They have enough depth to be incredibly challenging.''

Rasmussen has had record-setting success against the Yankees. He's pitched against them five times with four starts and is 2-1 with a 0.34 ERA. He's only allowed one run in 26 2/3 innings, has an 0.75 WHIP and they are hitting just .160 against him. With a minimum of 20 innings pitched, only John Morris from 1968-71 has a lower career ERA (0.31) against the Yankees since earned runs became an official statistic in 1913.

Rasmussen is the only pitcher in MLB history to open his career as a starter against the Yankees with four consecutive starts of five innings or more without allowing an extra-base hit. He did give up a double to Gleybor Torres in his one relief appearance.

“It’s a fun place to play, right? There is always a good crowd and there’s always electricity there,'' Rasmussen said of pitching at Yankee Stadium. "It brings in a little bit more emotion and adrenaline, and if you can use that to your advantage, it’s definitely a benefit.''

Here's how to watch the game, with batting orders and pitching matchups for both teams:

How to watch Rays-Yankees

Who: Tampa Bay Rays (53-53) at New York Yankees (57-48)
When: Monday, July 28 at 7:05 p.m. ET
Where: Yankee Stadium, New York, N.Y.
TV: FanDuel Sports Sun
Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM, WQBN 106.7/1300 AM (Spanish)
Betting information: The Yankees are favored on the money line at HardRockBet.com at minus-125, and the Rays' money line odds are plus-105. On the run line, you can bet the Yankees minus-1.5 at plus-160 odds, and the Rays plus-1.5 runs at minus-110 odds. The over/under is 8.5 runs.

Rays batting order

Chandler Simpson CF
Yandy Diaz DH
Jonathan Aranda 1B
Junior Caminero 3B
Josh Lowe RF
Jake Mangum LF
Tristan Gray 2B
Danny Jansen C
Taylor Walls SS

Yankees batting order

Trent Grisham CF
Jasson Dominguez LF
Cody Bellinger RF
Giancarlo Stanton DH
Jazz Chisholm 2B
Paul Goldschmidt 1B
Ryan McMahon 3B
Austin Wells C
Anthony Volpe SS

Starting pitchers

DREW RASMUSSEN, Tampa Bay Rays: Drew Rasmussen is making his second start since being scaled back during four outings, pitching just eight innings in four starts. The plan is to go five innings or 75 pitches, whichever comes first depending on the situation. ... He is 7-5 with a 2.93 ERA. ... In his last start on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox, he retired the first nine batters, but then gave up two runs in a 32-pitch fourth inning. The Rays won 4-3, but he did not get a decision. ... The Rays are 5-2 when Rasmussen starts on the road this season. ... Rasmussen’s 23.0 scoreless inning streak from May 17–June 3 was tied for the fifth-longest single-season run in club history,

CAM SCHLITTLER, New York Yankees: Cam Schlittler is 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA for the Yankees. ... The 24-year-old from Walpole, Mass. is making the third start of his MLB career. He debuted on July 9, pitching 5 1/3 innings vs. Seattle in a 9-6 win. ... He gave up two runs in five innings vs. Toronto in his last start. He didn't get a decision in the Yankees' 5-4 win. ... He has given the Yankees injury-riddled rotation a boost with Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt out of the season and Luis Gil still out on rehab.

Rays newsy nuggets

RAYS ROSTER MOVES: Infielder Coco Montes has cleared outright waivers and accepted his assignment to Triple-A Durham. He was sent down when the Rays signed infielder Tristan Gray. Right-handed pitcher Jacob Waguespack has cleared release waivers and has been unconditionally released from the roster. He was removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Gray.

RAYS' ROAD WOES: Tampa Bay has lost seven consecutive road games, its longest skid since losing 10 straight from June 15 to July 3, 2021. … The Rays, who are 3-11 in their last 14 road contests, are 0-3 on a stretch of 19 road games in 22 games from July 25 to Aug. 17. The Rays are seeking their first road series win since June 24-26 at Kansas City, having lost each of their last five, their longest streak since Sept. 9 to Oct. 5, 2022, when they also lost five series in a row.

WEIRD STAT OF THE DAY: The Rays are 53-53 this season, and they have a plus-54 run differential. They are just the 12th team since 1901 to be .500 or worse through 106 games despite holding a plus-50 run differential or better. ... They are one of just five clubs to do so over the last 48 seasons since 1978, joining the 2023 Chicago Cubs (53-53, plus-56), the 2023 San Diego Padres (52-54, plus-63), the 2019 Arizona Diamondbacks (53-53, plus-66) and 2018 Washington Nationals (53-53, plus-59).