Yankees teammate weighing impact of Aaron Judge's surreal catch as offense sputters: "Maybe he shouldn't have caught the ball"
The New York Yankees are struggling offensively without Aaron Judge. The captain has been sidelined since the final game of the Los Angeles Dodgers series as he recovers from a sprained toe. This occurred because Judge crashed through the right field fence to save a run and take an extra-base hit away from J.D. Martinez.
Judge might say that the catch was worth it since it saved a run and changed the outcome, potentially leading to the road series victory over a team that won 111 games last season.
However, as he continues to recover with no clear timetable and the offense struggling, one Yankees player is wondering if it was even worth it.
Yankees scratch out a win as they try to get by without their captain and indispensable star. Averaging 3 runs a game in his absence and still no timetable. Teammate: “Maybe he shouldn’t have caught that ball.”
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According to the New York Post, one teammate flat out said:
“Maybe he shouldn’t have caught that ball."
Gerrit Cole added that he's a 70 home run threat and without him, they're not the same. They've gone 3-3 in his absence, with a whopping five runs being the high watermark- in a loss to the Chicago White Sox, no less.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who is being pressed into more regular outfield duties as a result of both Judge and Harrison Bader being on the IL, said:
“We’ve got to find different ways to win. We miss our captain. But at the same time we have to deal with the blow. We definitely miss him. But at the same time, we believe in ourselves.”
The Yankees will go for the series win Sunday when they face the Red Sox one more time without their leader.
Aaron Judge trending positively as rehab continues
There is still no official timetable for Aaron Judge to return and save the Yankees. However, there is good news. The team insists there's no fracture to Judge's toe, which would have likely cost him the rest of the season.
Instead, he's on the 10-day IL, which bodes well for a return. The staff have said that he's getting a little better each day. According to YanksGoYard, there's reason to be optimistic.
Dr. Spencer Stein of NYU Langone said the fact that Judge got a PRP injection suggests his injury isn't as severe as it may have seemed. They wouldn't inject a serious sprain, which means the timeline could be shorter.
Either way, Judge will eventually return and hopefully, the Yankees offense can tread water until he and Bader can join them.