BRONX, NY — Even if Aaron Judge wants to play in October, the Yankees should make sure that desire doesn’t sacrifice the long term health of their 34-year-old franchise superstar or have it become the deciding factor in his potential return.
Manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that New York is preparing to open next week’s American League Wild Card Series without the captain, who has a moderate strain of the soleus muscle in his right calf. Judge went on the injured list after hurting his calf against Minnesota last week and received a platelet-poor plasma injection Monday. He will be limited in what he can do over the next several days.
The Yankees are planning to not have Aaron Judge on the team’s active roster for the American League Wild Card Series next week in the Bronx due to the captain dealing with a moderate right calf strain – Image Credit: Al Pereira/Latino Sports
Judge returned to the Yankees lineup on September 8th after missing roughly three months with a rib stress fracture. He had tried to play through the injury for six weeks before landing on the injured list and opted to return without a minor league rehab assignment.
A difficult injury at the worst time
The soleus sits deep in the calf and helps power movement through the lower leg. Judge has said the location makes running and hitting a bit difficult. Boone has called the strain “moderate,” but the Yankees have not given any firm timetable for his return. The recovery from this type of calf strain can vary, and returning too soon can raise the chance of another injury. That uncertainty matters more than a target date on the postseason calendar.
“We’re planning on him not being a part of that,” Boone said of Judge’s status for the AL Wild Card Series. “I’m not expecting it, but I’m not ruling it out, either.”
The injury came just seven games after Judge returned from a fractured right rib that kept him out for most of the summer.
He went 4-for-23 with one home run during that brief stretch.
Can the Yankees advance without him?
The Rays clinched the AL East at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, leaving New York headed for a best-of-three Wild Card Series. Boston is the likely opponent, though the final seedings still depend on the remaining games.
A series against the Red Sox or a possible matchup with the Guardians would test the same question: Can the Yankees score enough without the best hitter on the planet? Who will opposing pitchers plan around the most?
If the Red Sox and Yankees were to meet again next week at Yankee Stadium, it’d mark two years in a row of the same ballpark and same time in the AL Wild Card Series – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
They have a path. Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger and Luis García Jr. can help carry the offense, while a historically strong starting rotation can keep a short series close. Young contributors such as Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. could also be difference makers for the Bronx Bombers.
Those are plenty of reasons to give New York a puncher’s chance though even with all that, nothing makes Judge an easy replacement across an entire postseason run.
Luis García Jr. has a swing made for October and with Aaron Judge most likely not able to go in the AL Wild Card Series, the Yankees will need him, among others in the lineup, to step up – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Boone believes the club can handle the challenge, stating, “We’ve played much of the year without him, and for the most part, we’ve done a pretty good job. I think that expectation doesn’t change, with or without him.”
Why the Yankees should be willing to shut him down
Though Judge’s feel on the injury should be heard and taken into account, as no one is questioning his desire to be in the starting lineup, his long term health must carry more weight. If he cannot run, swing and recover from baseball activity without any setbacks, the Yankees should shut him down for the entire postseason, regardless of how badly he wants to return.
In 66 games this season, the three-time American League MVP Aaron Judge has hit .241 with 18 homers and 41 RBI – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Kevin Durant’s return in the 2019 NBA Finals is on the minds of Yankees fans as the club weighs their superstar’s postseason availability. Durant missed more than a month with a right calf strain before returning for Game 5 against Toronto, when he then ruptured his right achilles tendon.
Judge’s moderate right calf strain does not mean he faces the same outcome—but with manager Aaron Boone preparing to play the AL Wild Card Series without him—Durant’s injury should be a reminder that a postseason run should not decide when Judge is ready.
The long term health of Aaron Judge may become more of the important factor in the Yankees having the 34-year-old superstar return to the field this October in MLB’s postseason – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
That is a decision the club must make with its medical staff, based on how Judge progresses. A soleus strain does not mean an achilles rupture is coming and comparisons to other athletes’ achilles injuries cannot predict what will happen to him. The immediate and supported concern though is that a rushed return could aggravate his calf.
The Yankees owe Judge the opportunity to play when he is ready but they also have to remember they have him under contract through 2031. If his calf does not respond, protecting their captain’s next five seasons is the call, even with games in October at stake.
Follow us on Social Media for updates and exclusive content
Instagram: @latinosportsoficial
Twitter: @latinosports
TikTok: @latino.sports
Facebook: Latino Sports
