Aaron Judge

12:44PM: Judge discussed his injury with Hoch (Twitter links) and other reporters, saying “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….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.”

12:26PM: Aaron Judge suffered what was thought to be a sprained right big toe and a bruise when he crashed into the concrete support beam under the Dodger Stadium right-field bullpen door on June 3, while making a spectacular catch.  Judge hasn’t played since, and while he has reportedly been making steady progress in his recovery, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was non-committal about predicting when Judge might return.

Another detail has now come from Judge himself, who told reporters (including Newsday’s Erik Boland and The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner) that his injury included a torn toe ligament, not just a sprain.  Judge is still feeling pain when he walks, and while he might be starting some limited baseball-related activities soon, he won’t yet be able to run until he can at least walk without discomfort.

While this is new information to the public, it obviously isn’t a surprise to the team, so it isn’t clear if this materially changes whatever very loose timeline might be in place for Judge to return to New York’s lineup.  Boone suggested that Judge could get back to action before the All-Star break, and that might appear to be a best-case scenario given how relatively far away Judge seems to be from truly ramping up his rehab work.

Speaking with MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch and other reporters today, Boone said he believes Judge will be back before the end of the 2023 season, though he didn’t guarantee it.  As ominous as this sounds, Boone may have been holding back on linguistic grounds (since a guarantee is “an absolute.  I can’t say that about anyone.”) rather than out of genuine concern over a truly long-term injury to the reigning AL MVP.  That said, it is certainly disconcerting that there’s even a slim chance Judge’s toe injury might bring a premature end to his season.

The Yankees have a mediocre 6-10 record since Judge’s last game, with a league-worst 66 wRC+.  Considering that severe lack of offense, a 6-10 record might actually be an achievement, and the Yankees have remained in a wild card spot due to some struggles from other AL playoff contenders.  Needless to say, New York’s chances of staying in the playoff race will be heavily diminished if Judge can’t get back to the field soon, given his outsized role in carrying the Yankee lineup.

Aaron Judge left Thursday’s game due to hip discomfort, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone updated reporters (including Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News) today that the star slugger has a mild strain located at the top of his hip.  The Yankees will look to make a decision by Monday about whether or not Judge needs a stint on the 10-day injured list to fully heal up, though Boone noted that Judge has “shown a lot of improvements here in the last two days.”

Though the IL is still a possibility, it is at least good news that Judge’s MRI didn’t reveal anything serious, and that the hip injury seems as minor as initially believed.  Since IL placements can be backdated up to three days, Judge would only miss a minimal amount of time.  Of course, losing Judge for any amount of time is naturally a big blow to New York’s lineup, and if he does have to hit the 10-day IL, the Yankees won’t have their best player for their upcoming series with the Rays on May 5-7.

Judge’s importance to the club might also be a reason to err on the side of caution, however.  If Judge isn’t feeling quite right on Monday, the Yankees might feel that a 10-day IL trip to correct the problem now is preferable to Judge trying to play through any discomfort, and risking worsening the hip strain.  Should a 10-day absence be all that Judge needs to get himself right, he’ll be able to return in plenty of time for another key stretch of games, as New York has eight games against the Rays and Blue Jays from April 11-18.

Perhaps inevitably, Judge’s numbers have dropped from his all-timer of a season in 2022, but he is still hitting an impressive .261/.352/.511 with six homers in his first 108 plate appearances.  With Judge out of action at least through the weekend and Harrison Bader and Giancarlo Stanton already on the IL, the Yankees have been forced into a less-than-ideal outfield mix that includes Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Cabrera, Willie Calhoun, the newly-selected Jake Bauers, and utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa.