Ever since Aaron Judge has been absent from the New York Yankees lineup, the team has been performing poorly, as they have now conceded the AL East lead to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Despite the Yankees’ obvious struggles, MLB insiders Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman are optimistic about the team’s performance after the All-Star break. That said, Sherman has a question in mind, comparing the Yankees to last year’s New York Mets.
He raised doubts if the same thing was going to happen to the Yankees this year, falling off after mid-June. However, Heyman put those doubts aside, hoping for the Yankees’ resurgence with Judge returning to the lineup.
“It’s possible they peaked,” Heyman said. “I don’t think they’re in trouble, with one caveat: if Judge does not come back, and we don’t know when Judge is coming back, they won’t even say when he’s getting the re-imaging. They do have a date [For Aaron Judge’s re-imaging]. I’ve heard they have a date in mind, which can change, but they don’t want to say anything for whatever reason.”
Heyman seems to be pinning his hopes on the Yankees captain, noting that his presence in the lineup will create a positive impact on the morale of all the players.
Latest Injury Update on Yankees Captain Aaron Judge
On June 5, Aaron Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right first rib and placed on the injured list. The Yankees initially projected a 4-6 weeks rest before re-imaging.
The next update came at the end of June, with manager Aaron Boone informing that Judge was “feeling a lot better” but remained a couple of weeks away from the follow-up scan.
This means his next scan is expected to take place around the middle of July, likely between July 14-16, assuming his recovery is as per schedule.
The scan will determine if the rib has healed enough so that Judge can resume baseball activities. Assuming it turns out well, the Yankees captain will have to start with hitting, throwing, conditioning, and likely a rehab assignment before returning to the Yankees.
If all goes well, Judge could likely return by August or early September, depending on how his rehab goes. In the meantime, the Yankees have to make sure they don’t fall further behind to the point there is nothing left to play for when Judge returns.
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