PHOENIX — The New York Yankees, who have played without All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge for most of the season, are bracing themselves now for the possibility that their three-time MVP may not play again the rest of the season.
Judge, who just returned to the lineup after a three-month absence, is being placed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain. The Yankees have no idea whether he can play again this season.
When asked if the Yankees expect Judge to return in time for the postseason, manager Aaron Boone was brutally candid and said, “I don’t know.’’
“I don’t have a timeline on it,’’ Boone said. “I can’t predict anything. … I mean, we have no idea, we’re in the early stages. We’ll just obviously treat it and see what transpires.
“Hopefully, we can have him be an option at some point.’’
The Yankees survived without Judge for three months when he was out with a right rib stress fracture, and went through stretches where their offense badly struggled, but they always believed Judge would return and come to the rescue. His return lasted just 6½ games. He left Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins, and underwent an MRI on Thursday that revealed the calf strain.
While the Yankees already clinched a wild-card berth and likely weren’t going to catch the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East title, they’re going to have to figure out a way to get through October perhaps without their greatest player.
“The reality is that we’ve had to play a lot of the season this year without him,’’ Boone said. “There’s no replacing a player as great as Aaron Judge, but you know we have high expectations that don’t change now. We have a lot of confidence in the people we run out there every day. We’re going to match up day in and day out, and the goal doesn’t change.’’
The Yankees kept telling themselves in the clubhouse Friday that they can still reach their ultimate goal of winning their first World Series since 2009, but without Judge, the battle just became a whole lot more challenging.
“It’s frustrating,’’ Yankees Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler said. “You get him back, there’s a little bit extra there, a kick of hope, and this happens. I know he was doing everything to come back and try to make a run down the stretch.
“So, yeah, it sucks. Baseball humbles you.’’
Said Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger: “We’re extremely frustrated for him. He’s a guy that wants to be out here every day, and he wants to be on the field, help us win. So it’s definitely frustrating news, especially when you work so hard for so long to get back, and then something happens.’’
The Yankees say they now must guard against trying to do too much to overcome the loss of Judge, who originally went on the injured list June 1, raising the most obvious question:
Can they win a World Series without him?
“We all know he’s the best hitter in the game,’’ Bellinger said, “but our mindset is we’re going to have to find a way. I think the talent in this locker room speaks for itself. I’m fully confident that we have enough talent in here that can go out and win and beat anybody.’’
Boone says he was pleased with his team’s mindset in player meetings before their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and didn’t sense that they were overly demoralized.
“The one thing we do know is we’re in the dance, which comes with a great opportunity,’’ Boone said. “We’ve been built on the strength of our starting pitching all year. We’re going to walk into whatever series we play with a ton of confidence, and I have a ton of confidence in the guys that we have rolling out there night in, night out.’’
Yet, if they’re going to play deep into October, Bellinger cautions, they must believe in each other with no one trying to be a hero.
“We have to lean on each other,’’ Bellinger said. “The game itself is hard. You add too much pressure on yourself, the game becomes even harder. So we really just have to play for each other, lean on each other, pass the baton, do your job, and control what you can control.
“The end goal is still to win a championship.’’
The path to that goal, of course, would be a whole lot easier with the big fella, even though he badly struggled when he returned, hitting .174 with a .513 OPS, striking out 13 times in 23 at-bats, with one home run.
Judge never went on a minor-league rehab assignment before returning, but Boone dismissed the idea that a mistake was made activating Judge without a rehab stint.
“These things happen with a rehab assignment or without one,’’ Boone said. “We did everything we could to try to give him and ourselves the best chance for it to be a good outcome.’’
Now, all the Yankees can do is hope, and even pray, he can return, even if he’s limited to DH duties. He’ll be eligible to come off the injured list on the final day of the regular season. The Yankees will then be off two days before opening the playoffs Sept. 29, likely against the Boston Red Sox.
“Hopefully, he starts feeling good and comes back at the perfect time,’’ Schlittler said, “and will be there for us to start the playoffs when we need him the most.
“That’s all we can ask.’’
Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yankees 'have no idea' if injured Aaron Judge will play again this season
