This story was excerpted from Brian Hoch’s Yankees Beat Newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And Participate To get it regularly in your inbox.
Can these Yankees win without their captain? They will need.
The Yankees haven’t provided a clear timeline for Judge’s return from the big right toe injury he sustained while doing so Saturday in Los Angeles, robbing the Dodgers’ JD Martinez of an extra base hit while running full force into a concrete slab.
X-rays and MRI confirmed no toe fracture; Judge was diagnosed with a bruise and sprain. As the Dodgers made plans to add padding enhancement to the “Judge Zone” in the third-oldest active stadium in the Majors, Judge received an injection of platelet-rich plasma, intended to speed recovery, Tuesday in New York.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Judge was “very sore” after the injection and that the team would reveal a target date for Judge’s return after their upcoming series against the Red Sox.
“It’s really about getting the swelling out of there, and I’m sure it will be [in] “In the next few days, and then hopefully we’ll have a better idea of the schedule, maybe by the end of the week,” Boone said.
But the tea leaves seem to indicate that we’re talking about judge absences measured in weeks, not days, and that’s a major concern for the Yankees.
Even though Judge missed 10 games from April 28-May 8 this season with a strained right groin, he still leads all major league qualifiers with a . 674 percentage in slugging and 189 wRC+ this season, while packing 13 Once at home in his last 19 games. .
But here’s a stat that may be the most important: The Yankees are 30-19 when Judge plays this season, and 6-7 when he doesn’t, including Tuesday’s loss to the White Sox.
He can’t replace that guy, from a leadership point of view [or] From a play standpoint,” said third baseman Josh Donaldson. “We’re really going to have to pull together as a team and play good defense, play good ball, and hope you keep winning ball games until he comes back.”
Judge was sidelined shortly after Giancarlo Stanton and Donaldson both returned from their hamstring injuries this past season, and with Harrison Bader still repairing a hamstring injury, hopefully he’ll be back late this weekend or early next week.
Incredibly, the Yanks haven’t had Bader, Judge, and Stanton together in a single game lineup so far this season. Meanwhile, look for Jake Bauers, Willie Calhoun, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and others to catch at bats while Judge recovers.
Speaking Sunday in Los Angeles, Judge said he believes the strong mentality at the club helps the team through injuries to star players.
“In the past couple of years, we’ve talked about all these great prospects we have, guys on the cusp of getting a chance to get into the big leagues,” he said. “Now we have a chance to see some of these guys.
Speaking specifically [Oswaldo] Cabrera, two long runs, also hits a homer in his first game and gets us back with great plays on defense and plays where he needs to. I think everyone has a good mindset, and they’ll be ready for the role when they get it.”
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