New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said there is no timetable for his return after he tore a ligament in his right big toe when he crashed through the right-field wall at Dodger Stadium earlier this month.
“I’m not giving you any timeline,” he told reporters Saturday. “There’s no need. I’ve just got to get better and then I’ll be out there.”
The reigning American League MVP robbed a hit from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ J.D. Martinez in New York’s 6-3 win in Los Angeles on June 3 by sprinting through the outfield wall in right field to catch the liner. Judge knocked open the door to the visiting bullpen, and the Dodgers have since added padding to the fence to eliminate any future injuries.
Judge initially said he was “feeling good” after his running catch, adding that the “fence got most of it,” but the star was placed on the Yankees’ 10-day injured list three days later with what was diagnosed as a ligament sprain. On Saturday, Judge revealed that his injury was worse than expected.
“I don’t think too many people in here have torn a ligament in their toe,” Judge said. “If it was a quad, we’d have a better answer. If it’s an oblique or hamstring, we have answers and a timeline for that. With how unique this injury is, and it being my back foot, which I push off of and run off of, it’s a tough spot.”
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Although Judge “can do a little bit more each and every day,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the slugger is “not to the point where he’s running or doing full baseball stuff yet.” Judge added that his movement is limited due to pain.
“If I could run, we’d be out there,” Judge said. “If I could run, I’d be out there playing defense, doing my thing. We’d figure out hitting. But if I can’t move, that’s the main hurdle we have to get over. … The biggest thing is, the big toe is what you push off the back side (when) hitting. I’ve got to make sure (there is) the balance, and being able to transfer the weight is going to be the biggest key. Once we get over that hurdle, then we get into running and hitting.”
Boone said he’s confident Judge will return to the lineup at some point this season.
“That’s an absolute. I can’t say that about anyone. But yeah, I feel like he’s going to be back,” Boone told reporters. “He’s obviously as tough as they come and you know he wants to be back out there.”
