The New York Yankees are riding a rollercoaster of injury news right now, with star slugger Aaron Judge inching closer to a return while simultaneously learning they might lose another key bat for the rest of the season. Talk about a mixed bag right when things are getting serious!
The Judge Saga Continues
Aaron Judge has been sidelined since late May with a fractured rib, and man, has it felt like forever. Manager Aaron Boone, bless his heart, is still playing coy, telling reporters, “I don’t know” and “We’ll see” when asked if Judge could be back on Tuesday. C’mon, Boone, give us something concrete! But hey, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, right? Judge faced live pitchers on Monday, his first time doing that since landing on the injured list. He was also hitting batting practice on Friday, running the bases, and getting in some fielding work. He’s doing all the baseball stuff, throwing to bases, moving around. Judge himself is absolutely fuming about the recovery time, saying, “I’m mad how long it has taken. It is what it is. I wish it was real two months ago, but we’re at this point [now]. We’re getting close. I can’t wait to be back out there.” You gotta love that fire! He even hinted that facing live pitching might be the last hurdle to clear before he’s back. Before the injury, Judge was putting up numbers that were “slightly down by his standards” at .248 with 17 homers, 38 RBI, 43 runs, and a .907 OPS across 59 games. But let’s be real, even “down by his standards” Judge is still a game-changer, and the Yankees’ lineup has definitely felt his absence.
Grisham Down for the Count, But the Yankees Are Still Kicking
Just as we’re getting hyped for Judge’s return, news drops that center fielder Trent Grisham has a Grade 2 right hamstring sprain. The kicker? He “could miss the rest of the regular season.” Ouch. That’s a huge blow right when the postseason push is heating up. Grisham might only be hitting .211 this year, but he’s already mashed 18 home runs and driven in 59 RBI. Losing that kind of pop at the plate, especially late in games, is gonna sting for the Yankees. Here’s the wild part, though: even with Judge out for basically three months and now potentially losing Grisham, the Yankees have “managed to stay afloat.” They’re sitting pretty at 81-61, good enough for second place in the AL East. And get this: they’re a comfy 9.5 games ahead in the wild-card race. It just goes to show you what a deep squad can do.
So, what does this mixed bag of news mean for the Yankees as we head into the final stretch? They’ve shown incredible resilience, but losing Grisham means the pressure is really on for Judge to get back and deliver. Can they maintain that wild-card lead without another key bat, relying on Judge to return to form immediately? You know what they say: baseball’s a marathon, not a sprint. This last leg is gonna be a wild one!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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