Was Aaron Judge’s toe problem, which supposedly requires ongoing care, the reason behind his early departure from Sunday’s Yankees spring showcase against the Atlanta Braves? Or was Aaron Boone simply convinced to remove him from the field one at-bat earlier than the other starters after the Captain’s two drowsy at-bats against AJ Smith-Shawver?
In the fourth inning against Atlanta, Juan Soto’s three-run blast helped the Yankees’ offense come to life. Nevertheless, Judge was pulled after two at-bats and two strikeouts rather than being given a third opportunity to hit the ball.
For a guy like Judge, spring training is all about getting reps in and getting back into the grind after months away from competition. Now is the time to throw out the numbers, even if they don’t correspond to one of the biggest stars in the game.
There’s nothing wrong with pulling Judge early, just like Carlos Rodón does to work on his cutter after taking a bit extra off his fastball. Who wants to shoot themselves out in March? Sadly, the Yankees have to tell the fans what’s going on at all times to avoid their freaking out because they’ve reached a point of mistrust regarding injuries.
After two at-bats in spring training, Yankees star Aaron Judge leaves the game against the Braves.
In actuality, silence is not a virtue.
Of course, there’s never a good time for Judge or any other top player on the Yankees to get hurt. The second-best? Early enough in camp for players, like as Jose Trevino, who returned and homered on Sunday, to have time to recover from minor ailments before Opening Day.
But now that they’ve been informed that Judge’s toe—which, to be fair, didn’t really impede him in his excellent second-half comeback last year—may develop into a chronic problem as anticipated, the irate fan base becomes concerned each time he steps off the gas pedal. Sure, even in a play for display.
Judge reportedly told his manager before the game, “I’m good with two,” and Boone (as well as Judge) both said as much after the game. He had presumably had enough of Smith-Shawver’s stuff and was a little better with two. Fans should decide to believe both parties for the time being.
