New York Yankees: Aaron Judge delivers motivating injury news, expresses frustration

Injuries are mounting for the New York Yankees, who can’t seem to get out of their own way in the category. Aaron Judge, who has been rehabbing a sore shoulder for weeks now, picked up a new injury last Friday while hitting indoors.

Judge began to feel discomfort in his pec area, succumbing to more tests and ultimately ending his come-back trail prematurely. This week, manager Aaron Boone stated that both Judge and Giancarlo Stanton could miss Opening Day on March 26 with their individual ailments.

However, the Yankees’ slugger stated that he believes a return before Opening Day is possible and that he only needs 30 at-bats to be ready for the regular season.

“Still got plenty of time,” Judge told reporters on Thursday morning.

With Judge being kept out of spring-training ball and on-field hitting, the likeliness of him returning to full participation within the next two weeks is slim. At this point, we can confidently say he will probably miss the first few days of the regular season, with the primary evidence being that the Yankees still don’t know what’s wrong with his pec or shoulder.

Aaron added, “It’s a combination. Sometimes, one day I’ll wake up and chest is feeling good, shoulder is feeling bad. Next day, I’ll wake up, shoulder is feeling good. It’s just kind of back and forth right now.”

The New York Yankees need Judge to return to full health:

Aaron, who was the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year and MVP runner-up, is a significant part of the Yankees’ batting order. His influence is unparalleled, offensively and defensively. Reflecting back on a 2019 season where 30 different Yankee players spent 39 instances on the injured list, the 2020 campaign is not starting off on the right foot.

“Pretty frustrated with it,” Judge said. “I want to be out there with my team, supporting them, being out on the field, battling with them. That’s why we’re talking to a lot of doctors trying to get some answers.”