(Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)
The New York Yankees finally got their star player back on Friday.
After being out for nearly two months with a torn ligament on his right big toe, reigning 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge is back in the lineup.
His impact has already been felt: he went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday’s win against the Baltimore Orioles.
The Yanks’ lineup takes a sizable step forward when Judge is in it.
However, nobody can reasonably expect him to play every game left on the calendar with the type of injury he had.
He has acknowledged multiple times in recent days that he is not 100 percent and his availability includes a lot of pain tolerance.
Manager Aaron Boone knows this, and he already has an idea about how often he should play Judge, at least in the short-term.
“Boone said that he envisions playing Judge in “nine or 10″ games during this stretch of 13 without an off-day,” Yankees insider Bryan Hoch tweeted.
Boone said that he envisions playing Judge in “nine or 10” games during this stretch of 13 without an off-day. https://t.co/Q2FPzotA7Z
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) July 30, 2023
He didn’t say it with those words, but essentially, what the Yankees are trying to do here is sit Judge once per series.
It sounds like a smart thing to do given the nature of his ailment.
The last thing the team wants is for him to re-aggravate the injury and be on the shelf for the stretch run.
Judge has been magnificent for the Yankees this season when healthy, with a .298/.414/.685 line and 20 home runs in just 51 games.
The Yankees’ hopes of making the postseason depend almost entirely on the state of his right big toe.
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