Yankees Taking Precautionary Measures To Keep Superstar Aaron Judge Healthy
Although superstar MVP Aaron Judge came out after just two at-bats on Sunday, there is no reason to be alarmed, for now.
Judge is not in the lineup on Monday either, but this part of the plan, as Judge told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
According to Judge, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone informed him that he wanted to keep him fresh by splitting time with newcomer Trent Grisham given where the baseball calendar currently stands.
Judge is also "beat up" from his spring workload and will not appear in games until Wednesday at the earliest, as Boone told reporters this morning in Clearwater.
While it is a bit concerning that Judge is already feeling the physical effects this early on in camp. he is good with the plan to give his body rest, as he is aware that there is a long season ahead.
"I was just splitting it with [Trent] Grisham." Judge said: "[Boone] talked to me before BP. He kind of said, 'Hey, I need to catch you. I've got Grish' behind you. You cool with two [at-bats]? I said, 'Man, what is it, March 10? I'm good with whatever you got."
Judge, 31, has dealt with injury issues in the past, and the Yankees have suffered without him. Last season, the American League home run record holder missed close to two months of action after tearing ligaments in his toe as a result of running through the fence at Dodger Stadium to make a spectacular catch.
With Judge sidelined, the Yankees were forced to rely on depth pieces such as Jake Bauers and Billy McKinney to fill the void, which was unrealistic. The Yankees, who finished 82-80, could have possibly cracked a Wild Card spot in the very least had they not lost Judge for a significant period of time.
So, the Yankees are playing it safe with Judge in order to keep him healthy for a full season. They know they have a pretty good shot at making noise this year as World Series contenders if they have both Judge and Juan Soto, two top five sluggers in the game, healthy in 2024.
The Yankees are sending Cy Young winning ace Gerrit Cole for an MRI on his pitching elbow, per multiple reports on Monday. They cannot afford to lose either of their superstars, let alone both of them at the same time.
