“I don’t know when I’m going to come back…I don’t know when I’m going to come back” Unheralded home run king is ‘out’ in first year of nine-year deal
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- on Jun 27, 2023
Aaron Judge’s (31-New York Yankees) injury absence is getting longer. There’s no timetable for his return.
“Obviously, I’m hoping to be back for the season,” Jersey told the New York Post on Sept. 26. I’m going to do everything I can to get back,” he said, but was vague about a specific timetable: “I can’t make any promises. I wish I had an answer,” he said in a vague statement.
Judge was injured on April 4 while playing right field against the Los Angeles Dodgers. While making the catch on J.D. Martinez’s big fly ball, he collided with the right field fence and injured his right big toe. The force of the impact was enough to open the bullpen doors at Dodger Stadium. It was a hustle play, but it seems to have cost him dearly.메이저놀이터
After landing on the 10-day disabled list with a contusion and sprain to his toe ligaments, Jersey received two autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. While he’s reportedly feeling better, he still has pain when he walks and can’t run at all. There’s no timetable for his return. According to the New York Post, he’s hoping for late July, a week or two after the All-Star break, but that’s wishful thinking.
Jersey’s injury has been compared to a common “turf toe” injury in the National Football League (NFL). Turf toe injuries are sprains caused by intense pressure and strain on the big toe joints and tissues, and are common among NFL players who play on artificial turf.
“People compare it to turf foot injuries, which take six to eight weeks to heal, but what I’m dealing with is different. It’s not under the toe ligament, it’s on the side,” he said, describing the tear as a rupture rather than a simple bruise or sprain as initially announced by the Yankees team.
“I don’t know many people who have ruptured toe ligaments. “If it was an oblique or hamstring injury, you’d know when to come back, but this injury is so unique,” he said. “It’s harder because it’s the back foot that pushes off when you hit. It’s an area of balance and weight transfer, so it’s a problem.”
[Photo] Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees falls after colliding with the fence. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
[Photo] Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
Last year, Jersey became the most prolific drug-free hitter of all time when he batted .301 (177-for-570) with 62 home runs, 131 RBIs, a .425 slugging percentage, a .686 on-base percentage and a 1.111 OPS in 157 games, leading the league in RBIs, runs scored, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and OPS and winning the American League (AL) MVP. After the season, he signed a nine-year, $360 million mega-free agent contract and was named the Yankees’ 16th captain.
He continued his strong play this season, batting .291 (51-for-175) with 19 home runs, 40 RBIs and a 1.078 OPS in 49 games. However, he went on the disabled list in late April with a sore hip and missed 10 games, and this toe injury extended his absence, making it difficult for him to win back-to-back MVPs. Prior to his injury, he led the AL in home runs, but in his absence, Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels, 25) went on a tear and moved into first place, and he was overtaken by Lewis Roberts (Chicago White Sox, 21).
The Yankees’ big-money offense slowed to a crawl after Judge left in the first year of a big, long-term contract. The Yankees are 8-10 since Jersey’s departure and are in the thick of the fall baseball race for the third wild card in the AL East and second wild card. The gaping hole in the lineup has been especially noticeable with the collective slump of high-paid hitters like Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson, and DJ LeMahieu. As the New York Post put it, “The Yankees are a star-studded lineup, but without the jerseys, they’re a shell of themselves.