Aaron Judge Is Finally Back. But Right Now, The Yankees Just Need Him To Play It Safe

NEW YORK — A few days ago, an imposing 6-foot-7 outfielder appeared at the door to Aaron Boone’s office in the visitor’s clubhouse at Petco Park. Aaron Judge showed up, unannounced, and told the Yankees skipper that he was ready to go. Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham had just been placed on the injured list with a hamstring strain. The club needed help on the field. Judge had been nursing a fractured right rib since the end of May, but he was toward the end of his ramp-up and recovery timeline. Judge believed he was ready to play. Boone said no. There were still a few more boxes the Yankees captain needed to check before being cleared to return, and Boone was not going to risk rushing Judge back because of another player injury. There were people to call, and processes that had to be cleared that had nothing to do with how badly Judge wanted to be back in the lineup, and everything to do with the Yankees making sure he wouldn’t re-injure himself or aggravate the fracture. No amount of hope or anticipation or roster needs would change the plan. So Judge spent the team’s off-day on Monday at Yankee Stadium checking all those remaining boxes. He faced live pitching. He replicated going out to right field and playing defense for a few innings. He ran the bases. Judge came away from it all with no issues. The Yankees were pleased with what they saw. Finally, they gave Judge the answer that he was expecting to receive months ago. On Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, Judge was back after being sidelined for over three months. But he was on a leash, and that bothered him. Judge played six innings and went 0-for-3 before Boone pulled him from the Yankees’ 5-3 win in the series opener against the Rockies. His timing was clearly off as he flew out to center and struck out twice. He expected it, to some extent. These at-bats are equivalent to his spring training build up. And even though Boone warned him before Tuesday’s game that he would be pulled early, Judge was still miffed when it actually happened. Judge and Boone had a long chat on the dugout steps after the sixth inning about it. The eight-time All-Star made it his case to stay in the game. “We got Cam [Schlittler] on the mound, so I’m probably not going to get a lot of action anyway,” Judge said, reiterating his conversation with Boone. “What’s the difference between me standing out there for nine innings or standing out there for six?” His request was denied. Hours later, Judge was clearly still stewing over the manager’s decision. “I feel good. I played half a game. So I’m not too sure what to say about that,” said Judge, who was uncharacteristically peeved and not even trying to hide it. “Obviously, whatever [Boone] says, I’m going to do. But I’m not happy about it.” That was the tradeoff. Judge advocated for skipping a minor-league rehab assignment that would be considered standard for a player who hasn’t seen live pitching since May 31. The Yankees obliged. Better to have Judge’s bat in their lineup than be wasted in minor-league games. In lieu of Judge spending a week wearing a Scranton RailRiders uniform, the Yankees will treat his initial return to the major-league lineup like a rehab assignment. He won’t play full games at the outset. He won’t start every game in their series against Colorado. Every inning he takes right field will be measured against an internal plan built by the team, not by how Judge feels. That plan exists because how he feels has never been the problem. If it was up to Judge, he would’ve continued to play through his injury and avoided missing any time at all. “He’s been champing at the bit,” Boone said, and it wasn’t a compliment. It was a small reveal of how difficult it has been for Boone and the Yankees to keep Judge sidelined despite his readiness and impatience to play. Even now, with Judge single-handedly bringing the electricity back to the Bronx, the return everyone wanted comes with more restriction than freedom. Even Hal Steinbrenner, the Yankees owner, wanted to be in the loop before Judge was cleared to go. Unlike his dad, George, Steinbrenner is not known to meddle in baseball operations. He typically stays out of day-to-day decisions, preferring to leave that up to Boone and longtime Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. But, on Monday, after Judge took live at-bats, played the field, ran the bases, and was cleared to return by the team strength and conditioning coach, Brett McCabe, and the rest of the training staff, Boone called Cashman and Steinbrenner and asked them to weigh in on the decision. Boone said Steinbrenner wanted to be in the loop, which underscores how much the Yankees have riding on Judge. He is essential to their goal of going all the way, and he knows it. Of course, the back-to-back reigning American League MVP’s instinct was to go out there and play. The team needed him, he felt he was ready. What’s the problem? But the Yankees are walking a delicate tightrope, even if they won’t admit it. Judge has been “asymptomatic” for several weeks now, according to Boone. In other words, he doesn’t feel any pain or restriction when he’s going through baseball activities. And yet, the Yankees would still prefer Judge to be careful in right field, particularly on diving catches, since that’s how he fractured his rib in the first place. “I’d like him to be cautious with that stuff, and he will,” Boone said. “And the one thing, even though he probably got hurt doing something like that, if you really watch over the last several years, he’s done a good job of learning how to reign it in and not do things in certain situations. So he is aware of those things, probably even more hyper-aware of them now, obviously. The one thing is, watching him move out there, he’s moving really well, albeit avoiding certain things.” Is it realistic to expect Judge, who has built his reputation on giving maximum effort, to actually change that wiring? Can he really dial it back? “I hope I’m playing every day,” Judge said. “But I’m not the manager. So you have to talk to him. Hopefully I can play more than six innings.” The reality is, the Yankees need a still-easing-in Judge to be the three-time MVP Judge to catch Tampa Bay in the division race. The Rays (86-58) lead the AL East by four games, with New York (82-62) right behind them, trying to avoid another wild-card series against the Red Sox and earn a bye week before the ALDS instead. The stakes are already high, and they’ll only get higher in October. So, on a nightly basis, Boone will be fighting against the urge to keep Judge in the lineup for just one more at-bat, weighing whether one more swing will be the one that wins them the game, or potentially re-injures him. Boone said the Yankees are going to be smart about how they handle that balance, but it’s not like talking to Judge about their processes will be helpful. It’s hard to imagine Judge will say anything except he’s feeling good enough to go out there and play. Even back in May, when Judge knew something was wrong, he played through the injury because of how many other players were sidelined at the time. Now, at least, the Yankees have the luxury of a full-ish roster on the position-player side. Besides Grisham (hamstring strain) and Giancarlo Stanton (calf strain), who could both potentially come back at some point this year, the Yankees lineup is set for the postseason. Judge’s presence in that lineup is a requirement for the Yankees to go back to the Fall Classic, and even though Judge alone is not going to carry the offense, he certainly has a ripple effect. While he was out, the Yankees offense struggled mightily to generate runs. Since June 2, which is the date Judge officially went on the IL, New York has ranked 26th in the majors in runs scored (341) and slugging percentage (.385), and 29th in batting average (.227) and batting average with runners in scoring position (.216). From Opening Day to May 31, the Yankees ranked fourth in the majors in runs scored (305), second in slugging (.436), 13th in batting average (.243) and seventh in batting average with runners in scoring position (.270). When Judge is in the lineup, he makes everyone around him better. He offers protection, forcing opposing pitchers to attack the zone against hitters like Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger who typically precede Judge in the order. And even now, while Judge’s timing is off, the best plan of attack for opposing pitching staffs might be to walk him and take their chances against the batter after him. Which is why, more than anything, the Yankees just need Judge to play it safe. Just like a few days ago in San Diego, when Judge told Boone he was ready to give the team his all, Boone and the Yankees have to continue to hold firm. Right now and in the weeks ahead, Judge needs to be managed as much for his instincts as for his health. Hence, the leash. “He was not real pleased with me taking him out,” Boone said. “The ultimate competitor in him wants to be out there because he’s done a lot of work to prepare, to be ready to play. And I know in his mind he feels he is very much ready to play and go the distance. But, it’s my job to be smart here. Especially these first several games.”