Yankees Can’t Afford to Wait Much Longer for Aaron Judge

The New York Yankees need to add Aaron Judge to their lineup immediately and can't waste much more time.

New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge could be back for the team's next homestand on September 8th against the Colorado Rockies. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Yankees thought their roster would be complete back in May. At that point, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón were returning after starting the year on the shelf. Unfortunately, things didn't play out that way. Aaron Judge went down shortly after, and Max Fried had two different stints on the injured list.

If you were to ask them earlier in the year that September could be the time everybody would be healthy, it would likely strike anybody on that team, from the players to the front office, with a foreboding sense of dread. That is how it has played out, though, and the team has done its best to keep that top spot in the Wild Card hunt, while still chasing the division.

Albeit they have had one of the worst offenses since Aaron Judge went down. It's hard to say whether losing Judge completely destroyed the vibes around the team, or if it was just circumstantial and one problem that was an amalgamation of several issues, such as Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham severely underperforming.

New York Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. has gone through his ups and downs at the plate this season, which hasn't helped the offense. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The struggling Yankees offense

Before Judge went down, the Yankees' 116 wRC+ and .770 OPS were second in baseball. They have an 89 wRC+, which is the second-worst in baseball since losing Judge, though. Their .680 OPS is the third-worst as well.

At this point, if there is one thing the Yankees need to do, it's throw Judge into the lion's den and place him back in that lineup. It's hard to say how he will perform or how effective he'll be.

Judge hasn't seen big-league pitching in three months, but if they are going to get him ready for the playoffs, the best thing they can do is have him rehab on the fly and hope that he'll have his swing in tune for October.

No rehab starts

If there is one person who agrees with this sentiment, it's Judge himself. He said as much this week.

"Why waste at-bats?" Judge said, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. "Why waste anything down in a minor league game? I've been doing this for a while now, and I've got a sense of what I need to do on the field and how to manage it, so why waste at-bats in Double-A or Triple-A?"

The New York Yankees desperately need outfielder Aaron Judge (left) back in the lineup as every game from here on out carries so much weight in the standings. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Aaron Boone says that Judge should be back in time for the next homestand. That could be against the Colorado Rockies on September 8th. They desperately need their captain back.

Even if he isn't 100%, his presence could serve the rest of the lineup well. Ben Rice could have proper protection, and pitchers will still fear him in the batter's box. If he isn't going to be hitting those towering moonshots with regularity, at a minimum, Judge could work the count and get on base.

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