Reigning AL-MVP and New York Yankees star slugger Aaron Judge matched his MVP season numbers this year. Since the commencement of opening day, the batter has hit .291 with 19 home runs and 40 RBIs. But these numbers are more special than last year because of the extended period of time Judge has missed due to multiple injuries.
First, he skipped 10 days in May due to a hip injury. Next, Aaron Judge smashed his toe while colliding with the fence of the Dodgers stadium on June 4, which led to three weeks of ongoing absence. Despite this, Judge’s name was nominated for the All-Star event, which is scheduled to take place next month in Seattle. However, the Yankees captain is unlikely to feature in it.
Aaron Judge Earns His Fifth Career All-Star Call-Up Amid Toe Injury
All-Star is an annual event in MLB wherein the best players of the season from the American and National leagues compete against each other. To earn a call-up for the All-Star game is a privilege, and honor players crave hard. This year, the Yankees captain received a nomination owing to his impressive numbers. While he fell prey to a gruesome toe injury, the votes kept on pouring in his favor. Recently, on Thursday, the results were revealed, and Aaron Judge received his fifth career All-Star call-up. Not only that, the slugger was named as one of the AL outfield starters for the annual game after Angels’ Mike Trout and the Rays’ Randy Arozarena.
All-Rise for the All-Star!
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 29, 2023
Congrats, @TheJudge44 👨⚖️ pic.twitter.com/V88IeDCgc2
However, despite the honor, Aaron Judge is unlikely to travel to Seattle to participate in the game. His toe injury is taking an awful amount of time to heal as the batter recently made the revelation of the torn ligament. Judge is even facing trouble walking, let alone running on the field. Hence, this year, the newly minted captain will have to give the event a miss. It’s also possible that this year the All-Star game might happen without a Yankee player. Apart from Judge, only ace pitcher Gerrit Cole is capable of qualifying for the event. But due to his workload issues, the Yankees will restrict his participation. If so happens, it would be only the third time in the history of the franchise that an All-Star game would commence with any Yankee representation.
Yankees Captain Casts Doubt Over His Return For This Season
While updating on his toe injury, Aaron Judge dropped a bombshell. Contrary to the preliminary diagnosis of sprained ligament, Judge claimed that he had actually torn the ligament tissue of the right toe. On top of that, the batter admitted to feeling substantial pain while even walking straight. That raised doubt about his probable future participation in the ongoing season.
The Yankees captain seemingly avoided the question. He just finished up the interview saying that he wishes to be back at some point, but right now, he is not in a position to pinpoint a specific date. Judge’s body language suggested that he is high doubts about his return for this season. However, the Yankees camp is highly optimistic and expects Aaron Judge to return a couple of weeks post the All-Star break.
