New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner unsure when Aaron Judge will recover from sprained toe: "It’s such a tricky injury, a rare injury"
New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said he's as unsure as anyone in regards to when star outfielder Aaron Judge will recover from a ligament strain in his right big toe.
Steinbrenner took questions from reporters regarding Judge and other matters before the Yankees take on the New York Mets in one of MLB's top interleague rivalry series Tuesday.
Regarding Judge's toe, Steinbrenner compared the injury to "turf toe" which is a more common injury in the NFL. He said:
"It’s such a tricky injury, a rare injury."
Hal Steinbrenner likened Aaron Judge's injury to turf toe - somewhat common in football, less so in baseball.
So when will Judge return?
“I wish I knew. I’m not trying to be coy with you guys. You ask all the time, and I understand why the fans want to know. If this was a Grade… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Aaron Judge, the American League's reigning Most Valuable Player, suffered the injury while making a highlight-reel catch in a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 3.
The New York Yankees placed Judge on the 10-day injured list on June 7. The move was made retroactive to June 4, but he is not close to re-joining the team as of yet.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone told the "Talkin' Yanks" podcast on Tuesday that he did not have an update regarding Judge's injury, which has been officially diagnosed as a contusion and a sprain — but not a fracture.
Aaron Judge received a platelet-rich plasma injection last week, which reportedly has him feeling better, but still not ready to rejoin the New York Yankees' lineup.
After surging prior to Judge's injury, the Yankees have begun to regress without his presence on the field. The team enters its series against the Mets having lost four of its past six games and begins play nine games behind the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
Steinbrenner acknowledged the New York Yankees' struggles without Aaron Judge, telling reporters that he wished he had a better answer to when the team's captain would return:
"I wish I knew. I'm not trying to be coy with you guys. You ask all the time, and I understand why the fans want to know. If this was a Grade 1 oblique strain or a Grade 2 hamstring strain, I could say, 'Here’s what the data shows, this is when he’s probably going to be back.'
"But this is a rare injury for a baseball player with little to no sample size. On top of that, everybody heals at a different rate. The priority right now is to continue to work on range of motion and go from there."
New York Yankees carry on without Aaron Judge
Judge has been on the IL twice this season. He also missed time in May due to a hip injury.