The New York Yankees’ series winning streak was broken by the LA Dodgers after they trashed the Bombers at home in a three-game series. However, a Juan Soto-less lineup still managed to avoid a sweep by winning the finale on Sunday courtesy of captain Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham’s heroics.
It was now time for a road trip to Kansas as the Yankees had a series scheduled against the Kansas City Royals. However, ahead of the series opener, a late flight arrival prompted manager Aaron Boone to reconsider starting the lineup arrangement and rest key players like Aaron Judge to manage the workload.
Aaron Judge Rested, Juan Soto Makes Comeback Vs Royals
After a grind of 67 games, New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge was rested from the starting lineup for the series opener against the Kansas City Royals. Judge and the team landed at around 3.00 am in the morning, and due to travel fatigue, manager Aaron Boone decided to give a day off to Judge, who has, in fact, been in red hot form this year. Judge is on the pace to repeat the 2022 season, wherein he shattered all league hitting records, including the prestigious all-time high home run record, and won an AL-MVP award for the same. While the captain started the season slow, he picked up pace in May to finish with one of the greatest stretches in the history of MLB.
However, while Aaron Judge is in red-hot form, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said an off-day was the need of the hour for the captain given his workload management plan. “Obviously, he’s playing out of this world. I never like him out of the lineup, of course. But I feel like he needs a day,” Boone said. Nonetheless, Juan Soto covered up for Judge in the starting lineup as he made a splashing return from a forearm injury. Soto skipped the entire Dodgers series with forearm inflammation and only returned as DH against the Royals. Regardless, he played his part by scoring a run as the Yankees trashed the Royals 4-2 to take an early lead into the series. That being said, Aaron Judge is expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday for game 2, and he will replace Jahmai Jones in right field until Soto is ready to resume his defensive duties.
Judge Named Player Of The Week Again Amid Hot Run
Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees captain, was named AL-Players of the Week again for his strong stretch last week. Across 6 games, Judge went 10-for-20 with 3 doubles, 3 singles, 3 home runs, 7 walks and a 1.830 OPS. This is the second time Judge has won Player of the Week this season.
He already was named AL Player of the Month for his nuclear comeback in May. And currently, he is on the pace to eclipse his extraordinary 2022 MLB season. Judge’s form will only add more value to the New York Yankees, who are already leading the AL-East with a 47-21 record.
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