Imagine the first-place New York Yankees with Aaron Judge back on the field. Well, that audacious dream could soon be reality.
Court with the Honorable Aaron Judge presiding could be back in session soon, per New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone:
“He has definitely started to ramp up,” Boone told NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty on Friday. Kuty also reported that Judge has progressed to taking swings off a tee.
New York has ascended to first place in the Eastern Division and claimed the second-best record in the American League without their superstar. The rest of the MLB should be shaking in their cleats at the thought of this team with a healthy Judge in the heart of the lineup.
Judge knocked himself out of action when the torque from his swing resulted in an oblique injury on April 20. Before self-destructing, he was hitting .274/.404/.521 with five homers and 11 RBI.
Guys like Clint Frazier and Cameron Maybin have filled in nicely in the outfield, but there’s really no substitute Judge’s mighty swing.
Despite being sidelined, Judge is still finding valuable ways to impact the team. Rather than moping over his misfortune, he’s embraced his temporary role as cheerleader.
The 27-year-old slugger is even showing signs of a possible future as a coach by helping Frazier work on his abysmal defense.
Newcomer Maybin even credited Judge as a major factor in the Bombers’ recent success:
“He’s a huge part of what’s going on, even if he’s not doing the things he normally does out there,’’ Maybin told the New York Post’s Dan Martin. “His leadership abilities are really impressive. He’s still very vocal and instrumental to the energy we bring every day. He never allows the locker room to feel complacent or content. He wants us to keep going out and proving everybody wrong.”
Praises for Judge’s qualities as a leader are heartwarming and all, but fans would prefer to see him lead by example with must-see-TV at-bats and rocket-like throws from right field.
[membership level="0"] [/membership]
