The 2023 MLB season has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride for the New York Yankees captain, Aaron Judge. From starting the season with a bang to missing out on two months of game time due to a toe injury, the slugger endured a lot of difficulties and challenges to return back to the lineup. Last week, the Yanks activated Judge from the injury list half healed.
Apparently, Aaron Judge was still suffering from underlying pain and soreness at the time of return. Hence, the front office devised a workload management plan wherein they scheduled off days for the slugger to avoid unnecessary aggravation on the injured toe. Accordingly, Judge stayed out last Saturday against the Orioles. But just as things looked normal, the Yanks once again benched Judge in a crucial matchup which raised an alarm bell.
Yankees Manager Justifies Benching Aaron Judge Against Astro On Friday
The New York Yankees benched Aaron Judge during a crucial series finale vs. the Orioles which seemingly backfired. Hence, the fans expected a better strategy this time. Judge is half-healed. Understood. He needs some off days to manage the workload on his injured toe ligament. Understood. But the scheduling of the off-days is what seems problematic from a broader perspective. Benching your best hitter in a series finale is unreasonable. Not only that, the Yankees repeated the same mistake as they benched him again during a crucial matchup against rivals Houston Astros. On Saturday, Judge was nowhere found in the starting lineup. But he eventually came in as a pinch hitter pretty late into the game. But all in vain, as the Yanks ended up losing 3-7.
Meanwhile, explaining the logic behind the move, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that he is not enjoying striking out the captain’s name from the lineup. But at the same time, it’s the needs of the hour. As per Boone, the plan is to build the captain up gradually right now to ensure that he is fully available during the last few stretches when the team needs him the most. The skipper admitted that Judge is not moving well in the field and on the bases. Hence, momentarily, he will remain restricted to the DH role. Moreover, Boone has already witnessed a lot of improvements in his at-bats and movements. Hence, once Judge attains the desired fitness, the manager will start rolling him out on a daily basis. But until then, Aaron Judge will have to follow the workload management plan.
Giancarlo Stanton On A Home Run Spree As He Regains Lost Form
Giancarlo Stanton has been off his element for the most part for the ongoing season. Marred with injuries, Stanton has failed to do justice to his power-hitting abilities. He returned last month from a hamstring injury and immediately witnessed a grievous slump which made him a villain in the Yankee stadium.
However, in the past few games, Giancarlo Stanton has rediscovered himself. In the past 21 games, Stanton has hit 10 homers with .919 OPS. This is exactly what the slugger was supposed to do during Aaron Judge’s absence. Nevertheless, better late than never. Stanton’s resurgence will play a crucial role in the Yankees’ late playoff push.
