New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said Saturday that he has a torn ligament in his right big toe and is experiencing pain when he walks.
When the Yankees placed Judge on the injured list June 6, the team said he was dealing with a contusion and a sprained ligament in his right big toe. There remains no timetable for the return of the reigning American League MVP.
“I’ve got to knock out the rehab stuff. I’ve had different injuries over the years where it’s going to take a while,” Judge said, per MLB.com. “It’s not going to be perfect here in a couple of weeks. Once we can manage the pain, we’re going to be in a good spot.”
Judge added: “I don’t think too many people in here have torn a ligament in their toe. If it was a quad, we’d have a better answer. If it’s an oblique or hamstring, we have answers and a timeline for that. With how unique this injury is, and it being my back foot, which I push off of and run off of, it’s a tough spot.”
Manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that he expects Judge to return this season but did not provide any guarantees.
“The reality is, we’re without him right now and we’ve got to find a way to get it done,” Boone said. “We have the people in there to get it done, we just gotta do a better job right now of putting pressure on the opposing pitchers and defense.”
Judge sustained the injury on June 3 after slamming his toe against the fence at Dodger Stadium while making a catch in the outfield.
He spent time on the 10-day IL in late April and May due to a hip injury.
Judge, 31, is hitting .291 with 19 home runs and 40 RBIs in 49 games this season.
–Field Level Media