Aaron Judge’s calf strain has put the Yankees in familiar territory, but this time the timeline points toward October.
Before Saturday’s game against the Diamondbacks, the three-time MVP explained that the issue is in the soleus muscle in his calf, which he called “a little more crucial with running and hitting and all those kinds of things,” according to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. Judge was placed on the 10-day injured list earlier in the day, retroactive to Thursday, and the shortest possible stay would line him up for New York’s final regular-season game.
“I’d like to be back by the postseason,” Judge said (h/t Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). “That’s definitely the plan.
[It’s the] 10-day IL, so the 10th day is probably the last game of the season. So we’ll see.
I’ve got really no answers for you on any timeline or anything like that.”
That’s the goal, and the calendar gives the Yankees a narrow window. The club already punched its postseason ticket earlier this week and, unless it can make up ground on the Rays over the final week, it looks headed for the top AL Wild Card spot. If that holds, New York would likely meet Boston in the first round, with the series set to begin on September 29.
For now, Judge says he can still do some work while he waits. He said he’s able to work out and throw, though there’s no clarity yet on how much time he’ll need before he’s ready to play again. He also didn’t go on a rehab assignment before returning from the rib injury that cost him three months, and that comeback went poorly: Judge hit 4-for-23 with 13 strikeouts in seven games after coming off the IL.
Manager Aaron Boone didn’t offer much more than that. “It doesn’t matter what grade it is,” Boone said, per Hoch.
“We have nine games left. We’re going to get him back, or we’re not.
That’s what we’re going to work to do, and we’ll see.”
The Yankees have already been patching together the outfield without him. Cody Bellinger, Spencer Jones, and Heliot Ramos have been part of the mix lately. Jones was out of the lineup on Saturday because of a sore left foot, though he told reporters before the game that the issue wasn’t a major concern, according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post.
In Other News...
Yankees Needed This From George Lombard Jr More Than Ever
With Aaron Judge on the injured list because of a right calf strain, the Yankees needed someone young to step into a larger spotlight in Arizona, and George Lombard Jr. answered with one of the best games of his brief big league run. The rookie collected two hits and drove in three runs in a 9-2 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field, giving New York some much-needed production from a lineup suddenly missing its biggest bat.
Lombard Jr. delivered both a two-run single and a home run, the kind of timely damage that can change how a game feels when the Yankees are trying to keep moving without Judge. Gerrit Cole also provided a steadying presence, working six innings and allowing two runs while striking out six, adding another milestone to a night that gave New York a cleaner look at how its depth can hold up when the roster gets tested. [Read more 🡒]
Bernie Williams Is Giving Yankees Fans A Whole New Reason To Watch
Bernie Williams has never really been just a former Yankees center fielder, and this fall he is adding another high-profile stage to a second career that has quietly become part of his identity. Beginning Oct. 22 and running through Nov. 29, Williams will perform with the Tony- and Grammy-winning band behind Broadways Buena Vista Social Club at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, giving fans another chance to see him in a setting far removed from the old Yankee Stadium outfield.
For Yankees followers, it is a neat crossover that brings one of the franchises most beloved alumni into the Broadway spotlight at the same time former major league infielder Jose Iglesias is also in the show. The result is a rare baseball-to-theater connection that fits Williams longstanding music background and adds a little extra intrigue for anyone who still associates him with the pinstripes. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Suddenly Have A Jazz Chisholm Dilemma They Cant Dodge
Jazz Chisholm Jr. is expected back from the injured list during the Yankees final homestand, a welcome development after he worked through a sprained right thumb. His return, though, comes with a familiar kind of roster problem for New York: finding a place for all the infield pieces to fit, especially with Anthony Volpe handling second base well in Chisholms absence and George Lombard Jr. occupying shortstop.
The most obvious path may be to keep Chisholm in the lineup by sliding him to third base, a spot he has played before but one where the defensive results have been uneven. It is the kind of dilemma the Yankees would rather have than not, especially now that Aaron Judge is out for the season and every bit of production matters, but it also leaves the club weighing fit against comfort as Chisholm returns to the active roster. [Read more 🡒]