The New York Yankees will be without slugger Aaron Judge a while longer.
On Saturday, the reigning American League MVP told reporters he has a torn ligament in his right big toe. Judge injured it against the Los Angeles Dodgers June 3 when he ran into the right field wall while making a catch.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees leans on the dugout railing with Anthony Volpe, right, during the ninth inning of their 6-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox in game one of a doubleheader at Fenway Park June 18, 2023, in Boston. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
“I don’t think too many people have torn a ligament in their toe,” Judge said Saturday. “If it was a quad, we’d have a better answer. If it’s an oblique or hamstring, we got timelines for that. With how unique this injury is and it being my back foot, which I push off of and run off of, it’s a tough spot.”
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Judge did not provide a date for when he could return to the lineup.
“I’m not giving you any timeline. There’s no need,” Judge said when asked if he was targeting August for a return, per MLB.com. “I’ve just got to get better, and then I’ll be out there.”
The Yankees said Tuesday that Judge received and was responding well to a second plasma injection in his toe.
Manager Aaron Boone said he expects Judge back this season while not offering a guarantee.
Manager Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees before a game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park May 31, 2023, in Seattle. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
“That’s an absolute. I can’t say that about anyone. But, yeah, I feel like he’s going to be back,” Boone said.
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“He can do a little bit more each and every day, but not to the point where he’s running or doing full baseball stuff yet,” Boone said. “We’ve just got to continue to wait and get him there. He’s obviously as tough as they come. He wants to be back out there. We’ll just keep trying to get him healed and treated and hope for the best.”
The Yankees have struggled in the month of June, losing 10 of 16 games since the injury to Judge.
The single-season American League home run king told reporters he’s unable to run and is still feeling pain when he walks.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees in the dugout during the first inning of game two of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park June 18, 2023, in Boston. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
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“If I could run, we’d be out there,” Judge said, per MLB.com. “If I could run, I’d be out there playing defense, doing my thing. We’d figure out hitting. But if I can’t move, that’s the main hurdle we have to get over.
“The biggest thing is, the big toe is what you push off the back side [when] hitting. I’ve got to make sure [there is] the balance, and being able to transfer the weight is going to be the biggest key. Once we get over that hurdle, then we get into running and hitting.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
