David Lennon: Aaron Judge's status for playoffs is wait-and-see for Yankees and slugger
The Yankees didn’t botch the layup Sunday in announcing that Cam Schlittler, the virtual lock for the AL Cy Young Award, would indeed start Tuesday’s Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox.
As playoff decisions go, it doesn’t get any easier. With apologies to Andrew Toney, the modern-day “Boston Strangler” resides in the Bronx, and nobody makes Schlittler see red quite like his hometown squad. Smart to demoralize the Sox right from the jump.
The other biggie for the Yankees, however, has become an increasingly combustible issue in recent days, and that involves the playoff availability of Aaron Judge.
We got the impression this question was mostly settled when manager Aaron Boone plainly said last Tuesday that he wasn’t planning on Judge for the wild-card round. It was a reasonable assumption for a player that suffered a “moderate” right calf strain only a week earlier -- too short of a recovery time to make it back for the start of the playoffs.
Then again, we’re talking about Judge, and the Yankees’ standard rehab protocols don’t necessarily apply to the captain, who again chose to remind the manager that he ultimately wields the final word on his health status. Not only did Judge disagree with Boone’s logical analysis of the situation, he took a mild swipe at the manager for using the word “moderate” to describe his injury.
Maybe that’s a subjective term, as Judge pointed out, but here are the facts to consider when assessing his status for the Wild Card Series. Judge’s strain was serious enough to warrant a platelet-poor plasma injection in an effort to speed up the healing process, and the typical timeline, even for the least severe of these injuries, can range from 3-6 weeks.
Also, pushing a calf strain can lead to more lower-leg complications, which include risking an Achilles tendon tear, a worst-case scenario that would then put the start of next season in jeopardy (depending on whenever the pending labor lockout ends). On the other side of town, Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto each missed more than a month with calf strains, and Giancarlo Stanton’s regular season was wiped out by a succession of the same injury.
But Judge, at age 34, seems more focused on the task at hand than any future problems, maybe sensing that the Yankees’ championship window with the current roster shouldn’t be taken for granted. Or at least balanced with the personal risks involved.
“We got a great team,” Judge said last week. “We got a great opportunity in front of us. The future is not guaranteed -- good or bad. My job is to do whatever I can to get back and things are feeling great. So if you ask me if Im trying to come back and play -- of course.”
The operative word there is “trying.” Boone has since backed off any statements that imply Judge is a no-go for the wild-card round, but he’s not exactly green-lighting him, either. What that means for the 48 hours leading up to when the Yankees playoff roster is due Tuesday remains unclear.
Before Sunday’s season finale with the Orioles was permanently rained out, after a three-hour delay, Boone tiptoed around the Judge minefield. When asked about Judge’s weekend rehab, the manager said he spent some time on the treadmill, but otherwise “not a whole lot yet.”
As for needing to see Judge participate in any baseball activity, starting with Monday’s workout in the Bronx, Boone hedged on the possibility.
“We’ll just kind of see what we have,” Boone said Sunday. “Then along with the trainers and medical staff, we’ll make a decision.”
Based on the events of the past few weeks, Judge remains a massive question mark. It’s not a stretch to say that Judge forced his way back after a three-month absence due to the stress fracture of his right first rib, and did so without a minor-league rehab assignment, which is a big leap for anyone missing that much time.
The rust was evident, too. Judge went 4-for-23 with three singles, a home run and 13 strikeouts, but lasted only seven games before suffering the calf strain. Was it possible that Judge going straight from simulated game action to the major leagues made him more vulnerable to such an injury? Sure. But Judge realized the clock was running out for him to get prepped for the playoffs, so he took the best shot he had.
Now the Yankees have to estimate what type of Judge they’d be getting for the playoffs, especially since he went right back on the shelf Sept. 16 after a very limited audition that involved cautious handling of the captain. Judge also expressed a desire to return to rightfield, but with a calf injury, that would seem unlikely and the Yankees are booked at DH with Ben Rice.
“I want to come back and be ready to play the field because I think that gives us the best lineup, especially with how Benny’s been swinging the bat,” Judge said, also mentioning that Luis Garcia Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt will be holding down first base. “Look, I’m a rightfielder. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Big picture, if Judge is improving enough to become an October factor, he’ll have to decide -- with the Yankees’ input, of course -- if waiting until the ALDS or later might be a better plan to optimize what he can deliver. Not that the Wild Card Series is a gimme, but Judge going out there now, on a bad leg, could even be a liability, based on what we’ve witnessed since his return.
“We got to see what’s going on there over the next 24-48 hours,” Boone said Sunday.
And hear what Judge has to say, too.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
