Aaron Judge informed reporters for the first time Saturday that he has been dealing with a torn ligament in his right toe.
This news comes shortly after a report that Judge appeared to be responding positively to a second platelet rich plasma injection to the injured toe. Previously, the New York Yankees referred to the injury a sprain.
Judge, who also said that he still has pain while he walks, was hurt on June 3 when he ran into a wall while making a catch at Dodger Stadium. The team announced the first injection on June 6, followed by the aforementioned second injection on June 15.
Before Saturday’s report, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Judge’s swelling had subsided and that his star outfielder was able to do more activity on the toe while keeping it balanced.
The Yankees still do not have a timetable on when they expect Judge to rejoin the lineup, according to MLB.com.
Judge, 31, is the reigning American League MVP after setting both AL and Yankees franchise single-season records with 62 home runs last season. He has played in just 49 of the Yankees first 69 games because of injury. In those contests, he’s hit .291/.404/.674 (192 OPS+) with 19 home runs and 40 runs batted in.
The Yankees are 30-19 when Judge is in the lineup this season and 9-11 without him.
“I think there’s a shot for that,” Boone recently told reporters when asked about the possibility of Judge returning before the MLB All-Star Game (July 11 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
“That said, I don’t know,” Boone added. “I mean, I think he could be back in a week. He could be back in four. I don’t know.”
Judge re-signed with the Yankees after reaching free agency last offseason, returning on a nine-year deal worth $360 million.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Aaron Judge
New York Yankees
Aaron Judge
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