The Red Sox have spent the last stretch turning their season around, and now they may have caught a break that could matter in the AL East race. Aaron Judge still isn’t close to returning for the Yankees, and that lingering absence gives Boston a real opening to keep climbing.
Boston’s 18-2 run started with a four-game sweep of a Yankees team that did not have Judge, and the Sox have ridden that surge straight into the Wild Card picture. With the trade deadline nearing, second place in the American League East is now a very visible target. The gap is still there, but it has shrunk to 4.5 games.
Judge has been on the injured list since June 2 with a rib fracture, and the latest update does not point to a quick comeback. After scans during the All-Star break, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the slugger is healing, but still not ready to begin baseball work.
"Obviously, healing going on, which is good, but still not able to start any baseball activities or anything," manager Aaron Boone said after the Yankees’ July 18 rainout. “He needs to get to a point to where he's asymptomatic to where you really start ramping up more upper-body stuff."
Boone also said Judge’s progress will be checked over the next few weeks before New York decides the next step. Over the weekend, the Yankees moved him to the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster for Bradley Hanner, a move that signals the recovery is still going to take time. Since Judge has already been out more than two months, he’ll likely need a lengthy ramp-up and a rehab assignment before he can return.
That’s the kind of delay Boston can use. The Red Sox have suddenly found their offense, and they’re doing it while New York keeps sliding without its captain. Since Judge went out, the Yankees are 18-20 in his absence.
Boston’s recent run has also come against some serious competition. The Sox have already beaten the Yankees, the first-place Chicago White Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays during the streak.
Starting on July 20, they’ll face the red-hot Baltimore Orioles, who have won seven straight. That’s a tougher test than most, and the streak won’t last forever.
But with Judge still sidelined, the Red Sox have every reason to keep pressing for second place in the division.
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