Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees’ heart and soul, is holding the torch of the team’s offense. As of Wednesday, he was hitting .291 with 19 home runs and 40 RBIs in 40 plate appearances. Not only that, most of the above-mentioned numbers were generated in the month of May, right after his return from IL. Since then, he has been unstoppable.
However, a recent setback could hinder his future participation in the league. Last week, against the Dodgers, Aaron Judge awakened his inner outfielder to secure an acrobatic catch. However, he crashed into a fence door which injured his toe. Now, the slugger faces imminent absence for a prolonged period of time which could cause devastation in the Yankees camp.
Yankees Place Aaron Judge On 10-Day IL, Call In Reinforcements
Reigning AL-MVP and Yankees star slugger Aaron Judge garnered massive applause last week through his stellar defensive play. Facing Dodgers, Judge sprinted toward the center-right field for a catch. He secured the play but could not control the momentum and crashed into the fence. The impact broke the fence’s door open, and the outfielder stumbled into it and injured his right foot toe. The Yankees made him sit for the following game and advised him to undergo MRI scans. The scans diagnosed Judge with a contusion in the ligament of his right foot toe. An IL stint was inevitable from this stage.
The Yankees have called up Billy McKinney to take Judge's roster spot. McKinney debuted with the Yankees in 2018
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 7, 2023
Ryan Weber has been placed on the 60 day IL in a corresponding roster move pic.twitter.com/u6Xz57A646
Accordingly, the New York Yankees, on Wednesday, announced major roster moves and formally placed Aaron Judge on a 10-day IL stint. Moreover, the slugger has been injected with a platelet-rich plasma injection to fasten up the healing process. The injured toe is reportedly still sore and swelled up as the medical staff awaits the swelling to reduce to get a better understanding of the severity of the injury. Hence, as of now, the team does not have a return timeline in place and is absolutely clueless about the next steps. On the other hand, the Yankees have recalled outfielder Billy McKinney from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Prior to the call-up, Billy was hitting .274 with nine homers and will now replace the captain in the Yankees lineup.
Yankees Clueless About Aaron Judge’s Return Timeline
The New York Yankees have figured out the first and easy step in Aaron Judge’s recovery process, which is to place him on IL. But what’s next? Apparently, nothing, as the Yankees remain clueless. The team is yet t determine the severity of the injury as the swelling is still in place. Moreover, the slugger has just received an injection which will take time to kick in. Hence, the manager, Aaron Boone, stated they would monitor him for a few days to see if the medication was working or not. Only then he can put a return timeline on Aaron Judge.
Boone looked concerned when he said that toe injuries are tricky and take additional time to heal. The Yankees are quite familiar with the injuries after treating DJ LeMahieu in 2022. DJ had to miss the entire postseason last year due to a toe injury. However, the manager brushed off the concerns as he felt LeMahieu’s injury was more complex than Judge’s. Hence, he does not expect Aaron Judge to miss more than a few weeks of time. Yet, fans would have to wait for a few days to get a clear timeline of the captain’s return.