Aaron Judge Injury Update Should Raise Red Flags for Yankees Fans

The superstar outfielder was pulled during Wednesday's game with lower leg tightness.

New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge was pulled from Wednesday's game with lower leg tightness, which is the last thing fans wanted to hear. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Update: Following Wednesday's extra-innings loss, Judge told reporters that he felt lower-leg tightness in the first inning out on the field (h/t YES Network). However, after talking it over, he ultimately decided to leave the game in the sixth inning, as he didn't want to cost the club.

Our original story follows below.

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During Wednesday afternoon’s series finale against the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees fans watched superstar outfielder Aaron Judge randomly get pinch-hit for by Heliot Ramos in the sixth inning.

This was shocking to see, as Judge had just returned from the 60-day injured list last week after missing the previous three months of action due to a rib injury. As one could imagine, fans’ greatest fear was that the star slugger re-aggravated the injury

However, fans’ fears were not confirmed, as YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits reported that Judge was removed from the game with right lower leg tightness. As of right now, we don’t know the extent or severity of the injury, but the fact that it isn’t involving the rib and the Yankees got Judge immediately out of the game is good.

Aaron Judge’s latest injury scare is less than ideal for the Yankees

Heading into Wednesday’s game, Judge had played in six contests, slashing .190/.227/.333 with a home run, three RBI, and an OPS of .561. The veteran outfielder had missed two games up to this point, which were designated days off (9/10 vs. Colorado and 9/15 vs. Minnesota).

Also, as we expected, Judge would take some time to get his swing back. He opted against doing a rehab assignment in the minors, instead doing live batting practice before games and immediately jumping back into live action against the Rockies.

As for his work in the field, manager Aaron Boone proceeded with caution, playing him seven and eight innings in the first two games of the Rockies’ series before taking him out. In fact, he has only played a full nine innings three times (twice in the Mets’ series and on Monday against the Twins) since his return from the injured list.

On Wednesday afternoon, Judge was back in the right field after not playing on Tuesday and struck out twice.

The last time Judge dealt with a leg injury was a strained right calf during the shortened 2020 season, when he had two 10-day injured list stints and missed a total of 29 games.

If Judge were to miss any time down the stretch, it would be a devastating loss for a Yankees club with World Series aspirations. We saw how the offense looked without Judge for 84 games; it was not a pleasant viewing experience.

When Judge is in the lineup, it makes things easier for everyone in front and behind in the batting order. And when he’s 100% healthy, the superstar outfielder can jumpstart the offense in the first inning with just one swing of the bat.

That said, depending on the severity of Judge’s potential injury and what the club says, it could determine the Yankees’ postseason fate, as it could be an uphill climb to catch the Rays without him in the lineup.

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