The New York Yankees have been without their two sluggers, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton, for quite some time. Nonetheless, the team has managed to succeed without them, however, this doesn’t mean they aren’t needed to win games and establish is a dominant presence in the league.
The Yankees lost Judge on April 20th against the Kansas City Royals after swinging at a pitch. He immediately felt his right oblique pull, the muscle he primarily uses to generate power, after singling to right field. Judge was plucked from the game right away and was placed on the 10-day injured list shortly after.
Losing his bat and stellar defensive in the outfield has hurt the team considerably, despite the clawing out of wins. But, it’s coming to a point where Judge has to make a decision.
New York Yankees might be in for some bad news:
According to Carlos Beltran, pulling an oblique, especially on the dominant side, does not heal overnight and it will likely bother him for the remainder of the season. Judge’s decision to return will have to be one based on the acceptance that he will play through the ailment.
If the Bombers are in a position to reach the playoffs, there’s no question Judge will be right there with the team, but re-straining the muscle is a very possible consequence of playing through it. Throwing, hitting, running — everything requires the obliques to generate power and strength.
Making the choice to play will likely be the result of his competitive mindset, but the Yanks must be cautious with this injury, especially since x-rays indicated that it was quite serious.
Manager Aaron Boone stated that the injury was “pretty significant” a few weeks ago, and I can’t imagine it is at a point where he can comfortably hit 100MPH fastballs. Reports have stated that he’s expected to be out until the earliest June.
The Yankees’ slugger was hitting .288 with 5 homers and 21 hits before succumbing to the injury plague…yes, the bug has now become a plague. Hopefully, when he returns, his efficiency won’t be damaged as badly as Miguel Andujar’s.