The New York Yankees enjoyed having the dynamic duo of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in the lineup to start the season. Something that had been missing for a long time. Having them both healthy has really paid off for the Yankees the two combined for 12 home runs and 27 RBI’s. But that perfect situation came to a screeching halt last week when Stanton had a leg strain and couldn’t play. Tuesday in the first game against the Atlanta Braves Aaron Judge was pulled early with lower body stiffness.
Both of these players seem to be glass-like when it comes to getting injured. Luckily for the Yankees, the Judge situation doesn’t appear to be serious. New York Yankee manager Boone said Wednesday that Judge felt some “wear and tear” during last weekend’s series on the artificial turf at Tampa Bay. The base running surface that was described as cardboard-like, may have contributed to Stanton’s injury as well. No reported MRI’s were taken for Judge and Boone hopes he will be back on the field, Friday or sometime during the Red Sox series. Boone described his tightness this way:
“It’s kind of all over the lower body, just where he’s kind of dealing with some rigors. So, you know, the hips down into the hamstring and calves,” Boone said. “I think it’s a result of probably the four-game pounding in three days down in Tampa.”
The situation with Stanton is quite a bit more serious. First described as a leg strain, it turned out the be a grade one hamstring injury after an MRI. Boone has said that Stanton will be out for two or three weeks as the leg heals. However, that type of hamstring injury can take anywhere from two to eight weeks to completely heal. In this shortened season an IL stint of eight weeks represents the end of the regular season for Stanton. Even if he is only out for two or three weeks the Yankees will miss his bat dearly.
Stanton worked very hard during the offseason. He took off 20 pounds which is a feat when you have so little body fat. He worked on body strengthening with an emphasis on stretching and mobility. Stanton was frustrated to be back on the IL.
“You just did all that work, and now you’re back to square one,†he said. “You can’t look at it that way for long, but those thoughts definitely cross your mind during the bad times.â€
The New York Yankees originally brought up Thairo Estrada to replace Stanton after being sent down when the roster was reduced from 30 to 28. But with the Judge injury, the Yankees wanted insurance and brought Clint Frazier up from Stanton to fill in for Judge in the lineup on Wednesday night. That turned out to be a wise choice for manager Boone, as Frazier more than filled in, he hit a single, double, and a massive home run into the visitor’s bullpen in the Yankee sweep of the Braves.
If Stanton and Judge get back on the field as soon as possible, it may not be that much of an issue, especially for Aaron Judge and the Yankees. A prolonged IL stint for Stanton could be devastating for the Yanks. Stanton was off to a torrid start with much better plate discipline, three home runs, and a 1.038 OPS. Getting on base more frequently resulted in a batting average hovering around .300. His performance for the start of the season was reminiscent of his 2017 MVP campaign.
Both Stanton and Judge have had a poor injury record in 2018 and 2019. Judge played in only 214 games across the two seasons due to a number of injuries. At the end of last season, he cracked a rib that was going to cause him to miss the beginning of this season, had it started on time. Stanton last year played in only 18 games during the whole season due to injuries. If the Yankees can get these two players back on the field, it could be very big for them, especially if the Yankees reach the postseason.