Aaron Judge made a highlight-reel catch, but it may be what cost him.
The Yankees’ captain leapt at the wall to catch Taylor Ward’s long fly ball in the top of the third inning of an 11-3 win over the Orioles on May 3, and came up wincing.
Is that the moment when Judge suffered what was finally determined on Thursday to be a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side limiting his activity until he can be re-imaged in four to six weeks?
It’s hard to be definitive, but the reigning AL MVP’s numbers before and after the play paint a picture that’s hard to ignore.
Entering that game, Judge was batting .256 with 12 homers and a 1.003 OPS over 33 games.
In the 26 games after, he hit .237 with five home runs and a .791 OPS.
While there is some relief in knowing what the issue that plagued Judge is, the Yankees’ statement that he “is expected to return at some point this season” is enough to raise the hackles of fans staring down a 6-foot-7 void in the lineup for an indeterminate amount of time.
Manager Aaron Boone seemed to know that before the diagnosis was made, as Judge missed his third straight game earlier Thursday.
“Best hitter in the sport, and obviously what he means to us [is huge],” he said. “There’s a void there, but we also have really good players that can pick it up, too.
“You’re not replacing Aaron Judge though.”
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The Yankees’ depth may be their saving grace in Judge’s absence.
A rotation that’s finally healthy, coupled with the continued emergence of Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger’s usual excellence have been major roles in their 37-25 record, a half game back of the AL East-leading Rays entering Friday’s slate.
Getting Giancarlo Stanton and Jasson Dominguez back from their own injuries will help, but the biggest question mark involves the likes of Jazz Chisholm, Austin Wells and Ryan McMahon finally getting their seasons on track offensively.
Spencer Jones is being called up to presumably take Judge’s spot on the roster, per The Post’s Jon Heyman.
