Aaron Judge pushes to save Yankees’ season after 3-month medical nightmare
Aaron Judge is nearing his return, and the Yankees know their season could depend on it.
The New York Yankees are counting down the days until they get their biggest star back. After finishing their West Coast road trip, the team is eagerly awaiting the return of Aaron Judge , who continues his recovery from a rib cage injury .
Although New York has managed to remain competitive without its captain and offensive leader, Judge’s return will be crucial if the Yankees want to compete for a championship and lift the World Series trophy at the end of the season.
Manager Aaron Boone recently provided a positive update, although he did not set a specific timetable for Judge’s return. The slugger is preparing to take part in a live batting session this week, an important step in his recovery process.
“He’s close to the endgame of being ready to play,” Boone said, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com .
The manager also acknowledged the significant impact Judge’s absence has had on the team’s offense.
“We’ve had long stretches where the offense has struggled. I think a big part of that is not having your guy,” Boone said. “I also feel like that’s ticked up here in the last couple of weeks, where we’ve really started to play better offensively. We certainly look forward to getting our guy back.”
Judge, meanwhile, made it clear that he wanted to return much earlier, but the decision on when he will get back on the field will ultimately be made by the coaching staff.
“I wanted to be back June 1, but that didn’t happen,” Judge said. “I’ll leave it up to the manager when he wants to put me in there.”
While the organization remains cautious with its franchise cornerstone, the Yankees also want Judge to have enough time to regain his competitive rhythm before the playoffs begin.
The Yankees will return to action Tuesday night when they host the Colorado Rockies .
