The New York Yankees managed only one hit in their first game of the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays.
It can’t help that they didn’t have their captain Aaron Judge in the lineup due to injury.
The 6-foot-7 slugger is one of the best right-handed hitters of all time, so any time the Yanks are without Judge, things change considerably.
This is still a strong Yankees lineup in general, and it’s a group that should be getting more than one hit in every game.
But still — no Judge makes a huge difference.
And in some ways, the Yankees will simply be hoping they can survive deep enough into October to get Judge back in the fold.
How Long is Aaron Judge Out?
Judge will be out at least for the remainder of the ALDS.
He could be out longer, too, but that’s the minimum as things stand while the Yanks take on the Rays in the best-of-five series.
The Yankees had a choice to make before the series, and they chose to leave Judge off the ALDS roster.
That roster cannot be changed in the middle of the series. Once Judge isn’t on it, he’s unavailable for the series.
There is technically a path where if another player were to get injured, Judge could be brought back in, but that’s unlikely.
The most likely scenario is that, if the Yankees advance to the ALCS, that then gives them another chance to consider Judge, because they’d submit a new roster for that series.
If the Yankees and Rays play a Game 5, that would be on Saturday, Oct. 10. So if Judge is going to come back, it will be sometime after that — if New York can advance.
Why Isn’t Aaron Judge Playing Yet?
Judge has a “moderate strain of the soleus muscle in his right calf,” according to MLB.com.
The Yankees opted to keep him off their 26-man roster for the AL Wild Card Series against the Red Sox, clearly not thinking he was quite ready to help, and then they made the same decision for the series against the Rays.
At this point, the Yankees have to advance to get Judge back in their lineup.
With Judge out, the rookie Spencer Jones — also standing 6-foot-7 — gets to play more, and he’s been impressive in his opportunities so far.
Still, Jones is no Judge. No one is.
The Yankees have to beat the AL’s best team from the regular season, the Rays, without one of the best players in the sport. It’s certainly not an easy task.
Judge, like he’s doing in the picture atop this article, can only watch and hope the Yankees give him another chance to play this season.
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