Yankees: Aaron Judge’s IL stint is devastating to World Series hopes
After a relatively slow start to the season, the New York Yankees have started to piece things together lately. While they likely won’t catch the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League East title, they’ve solidified themselves with excellent positioning in a stacked division also featuring the humming Baltimore Orioles and potentially dangerous Toronto Blue Jays.
But any World Series hopes for a team already hanging on the edge of the AL Wild Card are in jeopardy without Aaron Judge.
On Tuesday, the Yankees revealed that Judge would go on the injured list indefinitely with a toe injury. Judge’s ailment is a likely unfortunate result of a ridiculous catch where he broke through a door at Dodger Stadium. For a team that now leads the MLB with 19 IL stints, losing Judge just when it started to gain momentum is a massive blow.
I know, I know. It’s June, and still technically early.
But given the overall quality of the AL East and a lack of padding in the standings, Judge’s absence will make it hard on the Yankees to stay above water for his presumed eventual return later this summer. You don’t just “replace” a player leading all of baseball in OPS and keep operations moving along as normal.
Oddsmakers with DraftKings have seemingly already accounted for Judge’s absence into New York’s championship odds. Without Judge, New York is +1000 to win the World Series, in a firm fifth place behind the Houston Astros (+700). Such numbers reflect that more of a firm second-tier contender — a.k.a. an afterthought until proven otherwise.
I wouldn’t write the Yankees off entirely without Judge. After all, they still have sluggers like Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo, who have had good years in New York’s lineup. But for now, Judge leaves behind a considerable chasm that the Yankees can’t readily fill in like a common pothole.
And falling behind further in the AL could make recovering later in the summer impossible.
