Aaron Judge doesn’t have good news for the Yankees
After ramping up his rehabilitation over the last several days, Aaron Judge admits that he’s still feeling significant pain in his injured wrist.
If the Yankees are going to make noise in October they’re going to need Aaron Judge back in the lineup. Unfortunately, the latest news regarding his rehab work isn’t good. The talented slugger is still feeling pain from his injured wrist.
That’s not what anyone associated with the team wanted to hear. The fact that Judge has recently been taking dry swings and hitting the ball in the cage had caused some optimism that he might be close to a return to the field. Now, it seems that his stint on the disabled list is set to continue indefinitely.
That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to miss the rest of the regular season. It’s not exactly uncommon for an athlete to feel some nagging pain after suffering a chipped bone. In some ways, this is perfectly normal. Normal isn’t exactly what the Yankees need at the moment though.
What Aaron Boone and company need at the moment is a transcendent star to put this team on his back. There are other options on the roster, but Judge has the highest ceiling of any Yankees hitter. With all due respect to Giancarlo Stanton, Judge is the guy who really makes this offense go when he’s firing on all cylinders.
Aaron Judge said that he is still feeling pain in his right wrist. Asked if it has moved from the 4 on the 1-10 scale he used back in NYC, Judge said it's still around there.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) September 10, 2018
Even when he comes back it’s safe to assume he’ll need a steady run of at bats to get back up to speed. Judge can’t replicate the speed of a major league game during his rehab. The only way he can get his timing back is to face live opponents in meaningful situations. That’s why getting him back before the postseason is so important.
In the meantime, Yankee fans will have to get used to seeing Andrew McCutchen playing everyday. He’s starting to show real signs of life, but of course he can’t be expected to replace Judge’s production. He’s an excellent stopgap, but he can’t carry the team at this point in his career.
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It’s not time for Yankees fans to panic about Judge, but the margin for error is shrinking by the day for his recovery. He needs to get back in the lineup soon if he’s going to make a positive impact in the playoffs.