New York Yankees superstar right fielder Aaron Judge is hurting. A flexor strain in his right elbow caused the Yankees to place him on the 10-day injured list on Sunday. While Judge, the leading candidate for American League MVP, avoided surgery, his absence is significant because the Yankees are in an intense battle in the American League East division and are no sure bet to make the playoffs.
Heading into last night’s game (Wednesday) at home in the Bronx versus the Tampa Bay Rays, Game 3 of a four-game series, they were 58-49, four games behind the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays, which were 63-46. At the time he was shelved, Judge’s .342 batting average, .711 slugging percentage and 1.160 OPS was tops and remains the best in the Major Leagues. His 37 homers was third. The two-time AL MVP has 85 RBIs, fourth in baseball. Those numbers reflect the obvious. As Reggie Jackson once famously said, he is the straw that stirs the drink.
Before the Yankees defeated the Rays 7-5 on Tuesday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he is hopeful Judge will not have his stay on the injured list extended after the 10-day period.
“I think that’s the expectation, but we’ll listen to the body, the trainers, him and see where we’re at,” said Boone.
As of AmNews press time, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had not made any trades or minor league call-ups to directly address the gaping hole left by Aaron Judge. He did, however, acquire former Mets shortstop and current utility player Amed Rosario this past weekend in a deal with the Washington Nationals. Rosario can play right field part-time, along with third baseman Ryan McMahon, who came over from the Colorado Rockies.
Judge’s absence will put additional pressure on his teammates, most notably first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and second baseman Jazz Chisholm. Goldschmidt was third on the team in runs scored (58) and hits (103) going into last night while Chisholm was third in home runs with 18.
Judge’s injury will prevent him from playing right field upon his return, where he is one of the game’s best defensive players. He has committed only one error over the past two regular seasons. Fortunately for the Yankees, his replacement, Clay Bellinger, is excellent defensively as well and had just two errors in 98 games played as of last night. Outfielders Trent Grisham and Jasson Dominguez can also pick up the outfield defense. It has already been determined that when Judge does return to the lineup, he will be the designated hitter due to his limited throwing ability resulting from the elbow injury.
If Judge becomes the full-time designated hitter upon his return, what will happen with current designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, who has played sparingly in the outfield over the past few seasons?
“It doesn’t matter,” said Stanton earlier this week when asked about being reassigned to the outfield. “Whatever helps the team win.”
The Yankees will face the Rays again today (Thursday) and then begin a six-game road trip with three in Miami versus the Marlins then three at Texas versus the Rangers next Monday through Wednesday.