The New York Yankees are nearing the return of Aaron Judge to their lineup. However, the next hurdle in Judge’s return is rehab and getting the slugger’s body ready to hit the ground running in this race to win the AL East.
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal noted that Judge isn’t going to the minor leagues for his rehab assignment and will be doing that in the majors. Moreover, because Judge will not be going down to the minors, he shared some advice with the Yankees on how to go through this process.
“It’s going to be really interesting to see how the Yankees handle this because, let’s face it, the worst thing that could happen would be if Aaron Judge plays for a week on and off, incomplete games, complete games, whatever, and then pulls some kind of lower-leg muscle, an oblique, whatever the case might be, and then you lose him for the whole season,” Rosenthal said on the Sept. 6 edition of “Fair Territory.”
“So they’ve got to proceed with caution, but they don’t want to be that cautious either and handle him like he’s some piece of fine china.”
Rosenthal also highlighted his lone concern about Judge returning without a rehab assignment.
“This is going to be really interesting to watch because when a player does not have a rehab assignment, he has not had game conditions under which to get back into shape, and that is the challenge that Judge and the Yankees face,” Rosenthal added.
Yankees’ Aaron Judge Will Have One Major Hurdle
Nonetheless, once Judge does come back and play for the Yankees, Rosenthal shared that playing the outfield again will be the biggest hurdle the slugger needs to overcome.
“Aaron Boone, in talking to him [on Sept. 5], seemed more inclined to take a different approach,” Rosenthal said. “Play Judge as much as he can, let’s say, in the first game. Let’s say it’s seven innings, and let’s say they do the strength test, they test him out, and he’s a little bit fatigued. Okay, you give him the next day off. Maybe the next day he plays seven more, you do it again, give him a day off.
“Or maybe he’s seven, seven, nine, and he’s just capable and handling it well. No one knows just yet what he’ll be able to handle. He’s coming off a fractured rib, and it’s hard for people to understand outside of the game. Hard for even the media to understand sometimes. But even running back and forth to right field and standing as much as outfielders stand, there is a physical toll there that when you haven’t done it in a while, it becomes a factor.”
Roger Clemens Believes Aaron Judge Needs a Ring
Nonetheless, when Judge does return, all eyes will be on whether he can deliver a World Series for the Yankees and end the team’s drought. Recently, former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens noted that if Judge wants to be considered a Yankee great, he needs a ring.
“Man, you gotta have a ring,” Clemens said during a Sept. 4 appearance on WFAN. “You gotta have a ring… [Judge is] a guy that when he comes to home plate, he’s in scoring position, and that’s what makes it fun for the fans, man.
“You’re on the edge of your seat, and if you make a mistake, he’s still like my young son who plays, my youngest, Kody, plays for the Twins. He says, ‘Dad, this dude missiles balls to right field at 110 miles an hour.'”
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