The New York Yankees are 20-28 without Aaron Judge in the lineup this season. Fortunately, heading into the MLB games today, the reigning AL MVP is taking critical steps toward his return to the lineup.
Judge, who was in the MLB MVP race, suffered a toe injury in early June against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was initially held out of the lineup for one game, but the soreness didn’t go away. Shortly after, New York placed him on the 10-day injured list with a ligament sprain in his right big toe and listed him out indefinitely.
- Aaron Judge stats (2023): .291/.404/.675, 1.078 OPS, 19 home runs, 40 RBI in 49 games
Related: New York Yankees game today
The Yankees have been coy about Judge’s recovery process, giving reporters very limited details on the nature of the injury and what stage of recovery Judge is at. However, the All-Star outfielder revealed in late June that he suffered a torn ligament in his toe and he was still experiencing discomfort at the start of July.
Fortunately for the Yankees, he’s now making steady progress in his recovery. Aaron Boone told reporters on Tuesday that Judge is improving and beginning to ramp up his activities.
“I do feel like the things he’s able to do now are kind of putting him in that close [category], but whether that’s days from now or weeks from now, I can’t answer. We’ve got to get through those final hurdles, where he can really do things that allow him to play in the Major Leagues.”
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone on outfielder Aaron Judge (H/T MLB.com)
The outlook became even more promising on Wednesday. Judge went through batting practice taking swings and even ran the bases for the first time since his injury.
Related: MLB trade rumors
As Boone told reporters, it’s crucial for Judge to prove he can stop, start and cut in any direction on that toe. It represents significant progress for the team to see him move around the bases and take swings without limitations, but there’s still more work to be done.
Since Judge last played on June 3, the Yankees rank last in batting average (.218), 29th in OBP (.291), and runs scored (139) and are 20th in home runs (40). Even once doctors clear him to paly, Judge will likely need a week-long rehab assignment before he returns to New York. When Judge is activated off the injured list, the Yankees intend to use him more as a designated hitter.
