The Yankees left St. Petersburg on Sunday with a series loss to the Rays, but also a reason for optimism: Aaron Judge was on the plane.
Last season’s MVP has not played since April 27, a day after he strained his right hip trying to steal third base, but he said Monday that he will be activated off the injured list Tuesday. He spent the weekend rehabbing at the team’s facility in Tampa while his teammates played three one-run games against the Rays. When the Yankees returned to New York, so did Judge—and just in time.
“I don’t like sitting out,” Judge said. “I love rooting on my teammates, but I’d rather be rooting them on while I’m on the field with them.”
They would prefer that, too. In his absence, the Yankees have hit .228 with an OPS of .669. They were 15–11 with him and have been 4–6 since. They have slid to last place in the American League East, and, although FanGraphs still gives them a 64.9% chance to make the playoffs (they opened the season at 81.2%), their odds of winning the division are down to 7.9% (from 42.7%).
“MVP’s back,” manager Aaron Boone said Monday. “It’ll be fun to write his name in the lineup. There’s just that presence he has being our leader, certainly one of our leaders, and the guys look to him. I think there is an intangible element to him being back in there as well.”
There is also a tangible element. Without Judge, who set the AL home run record last season with 62, in the second spot in the lineup, the Yankees have resorted to hitting second baseman Gleyber Torres there. After a hot start to the season, he has batted .220 with one home run while Judge has been out. And pitchers have responded. Shortstop Anthony Volpe, who leads off, saw 52% pitches in the strike zone with Judge protecting him; that figure without Judge is 47%.
Still, Judge said Monday that he does not regret the steal attempt, even though the Yankees were up 5–0 on the Twins at the time, nor does he regret his attempt to play the next day. Minnesota boasts a dangerous lineup that earlier this season scored 11 against New York, and the game the next day pitted the Yankees against the Rangers, who lead the AL West. He said the only thing he would change was his decision to slide headfirst, but he chalked that up to instincts.
“I can’t promise you it won’t happen again, but we’ll try not to,” he said.
The Yankees announced on Tuesday that they would put infielder Oswald Peraza, who sprained his right ankle on May 3, on the injured list. That move was easy enough. But the real roster crunch will come when the other two most prominent injured players, DH Giancarlo Stanton and third baseman Josh Donaldson, return. Donaldson could return from a right hamstring strain soon; Stanton's return from a left hamstring strain is a bit further away.
When that happens, the Yankees could demote Oswaldo Cabrera, who has a .547 OPS but can play every position but catcher. Or they could designate for assignment center fielder Aaron Hicks, whom they owe $30.5 million but who has an OPS of .439; DH Willie Calhoun, who has hit adequately but lacks defensive upside; or left fielder Jake Bauers, who plays better defense but has one hit in 11 plate appearances.
The decision will not be easy, but that the Yankees will have to make it will be good news.
