The New York Yankees might have avoided a worst-case scenario on Aaron Judge, but the reality is still far from pleasant.
As the team endures a marked fall from grace after a torrid start to the year, it has placed the franchise slugger on the injured list with a strained flexor tendon. He is expected to return this season, but the fallout from that brutal injury will still be far reaching.
Without Judge to carry the batting order, the team could be changing its approach to the trade deadline with less confidence that bringing in some win-now talent can propel a championship. And Judge’s injury could drive a surprising change for designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton as well.
“Yes, Judge can still swing with a bad flexor, but where does that leave Stanton?” Yankees columnist Bob Klapisch asked for NJ.com. “Back to the outfield, which is an all-around terrible idea. Give Stanton credit for a good attitude — ‘I’ll do whatever it takes’ — but let’s be serious about a defender who’s afraid to run, lest he gets hurt again.”
The Yankees have plenty of outfield options even without Judge, including Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Jasson Dominguez. But if Judge has to move to an everyday designated hitter role, there could be no way for the Yankees to get at-bats for Stanton without putting him back into the outfield for the first time in two years.
Still, Stanton is such a defensive liability and at so much risk of injury himself that the team might be forced to choose between at-bats for him or Judge for a significant stretch of the season. Judge’s injury might have been worse, but even a slight setback for the franchise star seems like a major problem for the Yankees.
“All of which is to say, if the Yankees were going nowhere with a healthy Judge and his MVP-caliber production, imagine what the next couple of weeks will be without him,” Klapisch added. “Think July’s been a rough month in the Bronx? Just wait. It’s about to get a lot worse.”
After a high-octane start to the year, the Yankees are suddenly facing some tough decisions.
