Yankees' Judge Playing 'Long Game' On and Off Field

Returning to the lineup after missing two games with lower body soreness, it didn't take long for Aaron Judge to show exactly how he's feeling physically on Friday night.

After lining out in the bottom of the first, Judge homered in his next two at-bats. A 436-foot missile to center field in the third was the opening act to a grand slam into the second deck to the opposite field in the fourth, blowing the game wide open.

Judge's mammoth night at the plate—retaking the team lead in home runs with seven—wound up reminiscent of the conversations his manager Aaron Boone has had with the media over the last several days. Judge was taken out in the middle innings once the blowout was on, an opportunity for the skipper to get the star off his feet.

You know, playing the "long game."

This is the second stretch this season where Judge has been out of the lineup for a few games in a row due to soreness. Earlier in the year, it was side soreness, a red flag for a player that's dealt with an oblique injury in the past.

Judge responded to that brief respite by starting the next 16 games in a row. He had a cold spell at the plate shortly after his return, but has turned it on of late, raising his batting average to .272 (22-for-81) on Friday night. 

It was a similar situation these last few days. New York was wrapping up an eight-game road trip when Judge was held out of the starting lineup. Boone never disclosed any sort of diagnosis, routinely citing "lower-body soreness" as the culprit while reiterating that Judge was playing the long game.

He made that same point clear once again after the game on Friday.

"When we talk, it's more the long game and making sure that if anything seems to be creeping up or becoming an issue, trying to squash it right away," Boone said.

Those conversations are necessary because Judge wants to be in the lineup every single day. Even for a competitor like Judge, this approach is a way to keep him off the injured list, sprinkling a handful of days off into the right fielder's routine to keep him fresh and avoid any serious injuries.

"Me and Boonie go back and forth a couple times when things pop up, but in my opinion, if I miss one day here, I think that's better than pushing through some things and missing a whole month because of an injury, so just trying to be smart about it," Judge said.

Judge played in 23 games in the month of April, missing just three contests overall. Asked exactly what's been bothering him the last few days, Judge wasn't specific, calling it lower-leg soreness. The most important thing for Judge is figuring out how to manage the soreness and stay in the lineup as much as possible. 

It's hard to predict what will come next in a marathon season, as even the most durable players can fall victim to a trip onto the IL at any point, but if Judge can miss less than five games a month, he'd be looking at approximately 140 games played by the end of the regular season. 

Even if it ends up a little less than that, considering the fact that Judge hasn't appeared in more than 112 games since his historic rookie season in 2017 (due to a myriad of injuries over the previous three seasons), that number would be a win for all parties involved. 

Judge got the start at designated hitter on Saturday afternoon as Boone rested Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees' hottest hitter. It may be tough to get to this point with a player that's sitting routinely throughout a season, but Boone believes Judge's ceiling is as high as any other player in the game.

"He's almost won an MVP. He's been Rookie of the Year. I think that's what his ceiling is. To be one of, if not the best, player in the league," he said. "He's a guy that is a real MVP candidate. Obviously, a great two-way player, tremendous outfielder as well and he's one of the faces of the sport for a reason."

As New York's offense starts heating up, it's clear what this team can do even when Judge isn't in the lineup. Stanton is playing at an MVP-caliber level over the last week, Gio Urshela continues to be an RBI machine in the heart of the order, DJ LeMahieu quietly keeps on hitting and the league's reigning home run king Luke Voit is fast approaching his return from knee surgery.

If Boone, Judge and all parties involved can successfully pull off the long game, Judge will play his way through the regular season and most importantly, have a clean bill of health for when the postseason begins. 

Asked after the game on Friday about how he came through physically, Judge smiled. 

“I think the results speak for [themselves],” he said.

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