Aaron Judge is out with āfoot soreness,ā which spurred Aaron Boone to call out the Dodgersā wonky bullpen fence.Ā
Never say Aaron Judge is just a hitter. The Yankees superstar showcased his remarkable speed and coordination in the outfield on Saturday, tracking down a fly ball and bursting through the bullpen fence in right field to make a spectacular catch.
Judge hopped right up after the play, but he did not emerge unscathed. The 31-year-old banged his right big toe on the fence and now heās slated to miss Sundayās series finale with the Dodgers.
New Yorkās manager, Aaron Boone, expressed safety concerns over the Dodgersā bullpen fence.
Yankeesā Aaron Judge injured after he runs into stadium wall for catch
While Boone said Judgeās sore right foot is not a significant long term concern, he did express his desire for the MLB and the Dodgers to fix the bullpen fences in the outfield.
Itās hard not to agree with Boone. Itās the major leagues ā if your outfield wall canāt sustain the force of a full-speed adult, the risk of injury runs high. Judge is lucky his post-catch stumble didnāt lead to something far worse. Padding the concrete, as Boone suggests, feels especially logical if players are liable to fall over it.
The next step is probably making the doors more secure. Falling through a door while also navigating a concrete step is no easy feat, especially when youāre moving as fast as Judge and simultaneously focusing on catching a baseball. Itās remarkable the MLB has even allowed this injury risk to go unmitigated for so long.
The Yankees will hope to have Judge back in the lineup soon, and thankfully no IL stint is imminent. Judge has been operating at the peak of his powers lately. On the season, he has 19 home runs and 40 RBIs on a .291 batting average. The reigning MVP has New York rocketing towards the top of the American League.