Aaron Judge has been on DL dealing with a wrist injury since July. Since then, the Yankees are 12 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East; outfielder Andrew McCutchen was also acquired via trade. Judge was hitting .285 with 26 homers before his injury. Judge is expected to return to action some time during the Yankees home stretch against the Boston Red Sox.
The possible outfield for the Yankees would be Aaron Judge in the right field, McCutchen at center field, and either Brett Gardner or Aaron Hicks in the left field. The Yankees would also have outfielder Giancarlo Stanton hitting in the order somewhere. There are 12 more games before the playoffs, and the Yankees are favorites to win the wild card game. Judge’s return is crucial to the Yankees success, so him being in the order is imperative.
Last year the Yankees finished 2nd in the AL East, but lost to the Houston Astros in the ALCS. The Yankees could be in a similar situation this year, but with an even better offense than last year. The addition of Stanton, McCutchen, and the emergence of rookie third basemen Miguel Andujar could be dynamic in the post season. Judge is the only missing piece to the puzzle, and if he’s 100 percent healthy then he’d be an instant issue for opposing teams. The Yankees may lack pitching options, but with Judge and their improved offense to pick up the slack, the Yankees could go far.
If Judge isn’t able to return, or if they rush his recovery, it could lead to horrible results in the post season. The Yankees could end Judge’s season and go into the playoffs with their current roster, but that’s as much as a risk as playing Judge. Judge is young, so maybe that’ll impact manager Aaron Boone’s decision.
The Yankees will need everyone if they plan on beating the first place Boston Red Sox. There final series of the season will be important, because it could be a look into the playoffs. If Judge plays during this series then it’ll be an ever clearer look at the two teams. A hitter recovering from a wrist injury properly is important, so it’ll be interesting to see what the Yankees do with Judge in the next couple of weeks.
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