New York Yankees captain and outfielder Aaron Judge is returning to the injured list due to a right calf strain, the team announced. The transaction is expected to be backdated to Thursday, following Judge’s departure from the team’s Wednesday game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field, according to Yahoo Sports. Judge was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning of that 5-4, 13-inning loss after first feeling stiffness in his lower right leg during the opening frame.
Aaron Judge Placed on the 10-Day Injured List
Manager Aaron Boone stated he was not made aware of the physical issue until just before Judge was pulled, after noticing the slugger hobbling in the outfield during the fifth inning. I tried to kind of play it off and see how long we could go, because these games are important down the stretch,
Judge explained on Wednesday, as reported by the New York Daily News. But kind of talking it over, I thought it’d be the right move to come out, so I don’t cost the team on the field or cost the team on the basepath.
Timeline and Return Prospects
With the 10-day injured list placement, Judge is ineligible to return until September 27, the final day of the regular season, when the Yankees face the Baltimore Orioles. However, it remains uncertain whether his calf will have healed sufficiently by that date. The injury arrives merely days after Judge rejoined the active roster on September 8 following a 99-day absence caused by a stress fracture in his first right rib, an injury sustained on April 26 in Houston that kept him sidelined from May 31 through September 7. Bypassing a minor league rehab assignment, Judge appeared in seven games upon his return, going 4-for-23 with one home run and 13 strikeouts.
Discussing the physical toll of ramping back up, Judge likened the new issue to standard spring training stiffness. We’re still trying to ramp up, so there’s going to be little things like this that come up,
he said.
Roster Implications and Playoff Outlook
To fill the active roster vacancy created by Judge’s absence, the Yankees plan to recall utilityman Max Schuemann from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, according to the New York Daily News. The team faces a crucial closing stretch without their captain, missing an ongoing series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field as well as a pivotal four-game home series against the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
Entering the final weeks of the regular season, the Yankees hold an 88-64 record, sitting in second place in the American League East and maintaining a position on track to host an American League Wild Card Series beginning September 29. During Judge’s lengthy summer absence due to his rib injury, the Yankees struggled offensively, ranking near the bottom of several league offensive metrics. The club must now navigate the season’s final ten games—and potentially the opening rounds of the postseason—without their marquee slugger as they evaluate his recovery timeline.
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