In what could be a massive blow to the New York Yankees’ playoff hopes, superstar outfielder Aaron Judge could be sidelined for a notable amount of time with a worrisome elbow injury. But how could it affect their MLB trade deadline plans?
July has been a rough month for the Pinstripes. They have lost 11 of 19 and now find themselves 5.5 games out of first in the American League East. While they are currently leading the Wild Card race, that could soon change. On Saturday morning, the Yankees revealed Judge will miss today’s game against the Phillies and undergo testing for an elbow injury he suffered earlier this week.
“He’s dealing with an elbow issue. You guys asked about it in Toronto. He felt like he was fine on the off day. But last night he was really dealing with it. He couldn’t throw well from the outfield,” manager Aaron Boone said about the injury. “He got imaging today, and we’ll kind of wait on that.”
At this point, there is no clear timeline on when they will get the results and how much time he could miss. Boone said the injury occurred on a throw against the Blue Jays this week. But he didn’t believe it was as big a problem when he hit.
With the MLB trade deadline just a few days away, his injury must now factor into the team’s strategy over the next week.
How will Aaron Judge’s injury affect the New York Yankees’ trade deadline plans?
On Friday, the Yankees made a big splash when they addressed their problem at third base by trading for Rockies star Ryan McMahon. Reports following the move suggested that New York is prioritizing upgrades to the bullpen and starting rotation before July 31st.
However, they could now have a massive hole in the lineup with, arguably, the best hitter on the planet sidelined for an unknown amount of time. The fact that the injury may only affect his defense is a positive in a terrible situation. Nevertheless, Judge missing more than a few games could put New York in jeopardy of falling out of a Wild Card spot.
- Aaron Judge stats: .342 AVG, .449 OBP, .711 SLG, 1.160 OPS, 37 HR, 85 RBI, 90 R
General manager Brian Cashman must consider potentially adding outfield depth before Thursday. If Judge was forced out for a month or even the rest of the season, then whoever they acquired wouldn’t make much of a difference. However, if he isn’t sidelined too long, trades for veteran outfielders like Starling Marte, Jorge Soler, or Tommy Pham should be considered.
They could also just stay the course, hope Aaron Judge will be fine, and stick to the plan of upgrading the pitching staff. But they need to get an idea of how long he could be out. Because it will have a huge effect on whether they decide to offer worthwhile prospects in trade discussions, or go with a low-cost approach before the deadline.
