New York Yankees star Aaron Judge exited Wednesday’s game after aggravating his calf injury, the latest setback for the slugger who just returned from the 10-day injured list.
Judge, who was activated off the IL on Tuesday, returned to the lineup for Game 2 of New York’s doubleheader. Unfortunately, after experiencing renewed discomfort near his calf, he was pulled from the game.
Latest news on Aaron Judge’s injury
After dropping Wednesday’s doubleheader to the Atlanta Braves, Yankees skipper Aaron Boone provided the injury update fans were hoping not to hear. In his first game back, Judge felt tightness in his calf and was pulled from the game.
Before New York placed Judge on the injured list on Aug. 14, the All-Star outfielder campaigned to be kept on the active roster. After a 10-day stay on the IL, Judge had a chance to return this past week and told reporters he was at 100%.
On the verge of returning, the New York Mets experienced a COVID-19 outbreak that forced the postponement of the Subway Series. After a few additional days off, Judge finally returned to the lineup on Wednesday night and everything seemed right in New York once again.
Unfortunately, this latest injury is nothing new for the 6-foot-7 slugger. Judge has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, missing 50-plus games in each of the past two seasons. He missed significant time in 2019 with an oblique strain, forcing him to miss two months of action.
It would be wise for the Yankees to place him back on the IL, given it only took six innings for him to suffer a setback in his first game back. Even if the injury is minor, this team can’t risk causing things to worsen to put Judge at risk of missing the postseason.
Sadly, this is just the latest in a myriad of injuries for New York. On the pitching side, the Yankees are without starting pitcher James Paxton along with relievers Zack Britton and Luis Avilan. Meanwhile, All-Star hitters DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton are all sidelined through August due to injuries.
With the MLB trade deadline nearing, the Yankees now have even more holes to fill in a year where many expected them to win the World Series.