The New York Yankees’ offense has been on the downside ever since the start of the 2023 MLB season. The hitters collectively have failed to step up. Moreover, the incessant injuries have majorly contributed to the run drought this week. Not only that, the glue that holds the Yankees lineup together, their captain, Aaron Judge, has been missing in action for a while.
Aaron Judge, the Yankee’s start slugger, started off the 2023 season where he left off in 2022 with a homer in the very first at-bat of the year. He continued to add a few more until last week. Last week against the Minnesota Twins, the slugger messed up his dive for a stolen base and ended up injuring his wrist and hip. While the wrist did not cause any further trouble, the hip has forced him to grace the bench this week. Moreover, the latest update is not at all encouraging for the Yankees and the fans alike.
Aaron Judge Faces The Inevitable, Lands On 10-Day IL
New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge left the series opener against the Texas Rangers mid-way due to discomfort in their right hip. That discomfort was a result of the slugger’s awkward dive from a day before. However, the Yankees did not want to risk it and placed him on the bench for four consecutive games and hung his fate in the balance. On Monday, ahead of the series opener against the Cleveland Guardians, the Yankees announced the most feared update. The New York Yankees officially placed their lead slugger, Aaron Judge, on 10-day IL due to a mild hip strain.
This indicates that Aaron Judge will miss the ongoing series with the Cleveland Guardians and also the upcoming series against the Tampa Bay Rays. He could return to the offense lineup as early as May 10 against the Oakland Athletics. However, that can happen only if the slugger recovers 100% within the set time frame. The Yankees, however, still maintain that the injury is minor and an IL stint is just a precautionary measure. Nonetheless, the damage is already done as the Yankees shockingly went down against the Cleveland Guardians in the first game after losing the 2-0 lead in the ninth inning.
Aaron Boone Doesn’t Want To Compromise Aaron Judge’s Recovery
The New York Yankees skipper, Aaron Boone, decided to place the team’s captain, Aaron Judge, on a 10-day IL despite the slugger being reluctant. Boone said Judge was not in favor of the decision. But they convinced him after all, stating that it was in the best interest of his future. The skipper believes that he does not want to put the slugger into a scenario wherein he returns with half fitness, and then it aggravates into something worst, which could hamper his whole season.
Hence, Boone is fine with Aaron Judge missing the initial few games if it means that he would stay available for the rest of the season in full health. Moreover, the skipper did confirm that Judge has been recovering well since day one, and if he wants to rejoin the lineup earlier than the set timeline, he will not stand in the slugger’s way. On the other hand, the Yankees have called up outfielder Franchy Cordero from Triple-AScranton/Wilkes-Barre to fill in for the captain.