The New York Yankees suffered a tremendous blow over the weekend as All-Star outfielder and AL MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge hit the 10-day IL with a flexor strain in his right elbow. The 33-year-old experienced "trouble throwing the ball" and will now miss at least 10 days, with the potential for a longer absence.
If all goes to plan, Judge will return shortly after his designated IL stint ends. From there, he will spend a couple weeks in the DH role before transition back to the outfield. New York's outfield depth will be tested in the meantime — Giancarlo Stanton taking reps in right field is a troubling mental image — but this is not a catastrophic long-term injury.
That said, there are such things as catastrophic short-term injuries. The Yankees are stuck between a rock and a hard place as one of MLB's worst teams over the last month. New York is still eight games above .500 and first in the AL Wild Card standings, but only 1.5 games sit between the Yankees and the postseason bubble, where the red-hot Texas Rangers presently reside.
If Judge happens to miss more than the optimistic 10-day prognosis, it's fair to start wondering how exactly the Yankees will proceed. We should know more as the July 31 trade deadline inches ever closer.
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Aaron Judge's absence could complicate Yankees' trade deadline plans
The Yankees stacked four runs in 5.2 innings against Zack Wheeler on Sunday, proof that this lineup can compete without Judge. That said, broader trends with this offense are far more concerning. The Yankees aren't lacking for talent necessarily, but consistency has been a huge issue. This team tends to hit dramatic lulls around Judge, whose MVP-level production has kept New York afloat — if only barely.
New York has already made a couple notable trades ahead of the deadline, adding third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies and second baseman Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals. Both figure to play important roles down the stretch, but neither dramatically moves the needle offensively. McMahon's Yankee Stadium numbers are abysmal and his power has always gone missing outside of Coors Field. Rosario is a platoon option off the bench.
Short story short, the Yankees really are not built to contend if Judge misses extended time. The outfield suddenly has a gaping hole. The infield remains a complete mess aside from third, with Jazz Chisholm and Anthony Volpe leading their respective positions in errors this season. New York's base running is a longstanding weakness. Aaron Boone's squad just does not have the intangibles necessary to survive such a substantial absence.
Yankees still need to operate aggressively with murky Aaron Judge outlook
Despite all this uncertainty, it would be criminal for Brian Cashman to pull back and play it safe at the deadline. The Yankees aren't going to touch their top prospects, but swapping farm system depth for win-now pieces is still the correct strategy. If anything, a major trade might help the Yankees stay afloat without Judge and properly turn things around once he's back. There is a lot of season left and New York, again, is still eight games above .500 and right in the Wild Card mix. That this team has "survived" these last few weeks of woe is a credit to their early-season success and the talent still on the roster.
Beyond Max Fried, there's lots of room to improve the rotation. The bullpen needs work with Devin Williams struggling to live up to expectations. The infield could always be better, even after the McMahon and Rosario additions. Volpe should no longer be viewed as a foundational piece; even trading up for a more immediate upgrade would be a reasonable course of action.
The Yankees are the Yankees. This is not an organization built to shrink away from adversity at the trade deadline. If Cashman turns gun-shy after the Judge injury, it will be an indictment on the front office and a sobering development for one of MLB's most passionate fanbases.