Aaron Judge hopes to talk his way onto the New York Yankees roster for the AL Wild Card Series and into the starting lineup against the Boston Red Sox. Sidelined since Sept. 16 by a strained right calf, the Yankees captain took live batting practice on the field Monday, a day ahead of the series opener.
He walked twice, hit a comebacker to the mound and took a called third strike against teammates Ryan Weathers and Elmer Rodriguez. "I’ve been doing a lot of convincing, I feel like, so I’m going to keep doing that," Judge said. "The most important thing is just making sure I’m healthy and ready to go for this long stretch.
We've got another month of baseball to play." A three-time AL MVP, the 34-year-old slugger had a platelet-poor plasma injection Sept. 21. He was sidelined by a fractured rib from May 31 to Sept.
8 and played in just seven games before the latest injury. "He’s making progress. We’ll continue to see where he’s at," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Speaking in front of his locker, a diamond-and-garnet pendant of a judge’s gavel hanging from his neck, the outfielder said he hasn't run the bases since the injury but had been working on an AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill. "I’ve been hitting for a while, so it feels great, which is definitely a big step forward because you kind of produce a lot of weight on that back leg," he said. Judge was limited to 66 games this season.
He hit .241 with 18 homers, 41 RBIs and an .871 OPS, including .174 with one homer and three RBIs in September. He hopes not to be limited to designated hitter — teammate Ben Rice was the DH in 96 games. "I’m trying to come back as an outfielder because I think it helps our team the most, but however they see I fit in the best, I am going to try to do that," Judge said.
Judge didn't express concern about trying for a quick return from an injury to his soleus muscle, which is part of the Achilles tendon. "Guys take risks every single day. I know a lot of guys in here are banged up and dealing with stuff," he said.
"So, yeah, I understand the risks." In his 11th big league season and still without a World Series title, Judge is sensing the passage of time as motivation for pushing to get back on the field. "The biggest thing is just understanding how short I get. The time I get to be a Yankee and play this game of baseball is a very short window," he said.
"Ten years have gone by since I debuted out here. Time flies and I just think about that more than thinking about age. I feel like I’ll still be a good baseball player at 45.
So, yeah, it’s more just, your window to play this game is short so you don’t want to miss an opportunity." Stanton, Grisham and Weathers Giancarlo Stanton, out since April 24 because of strained calf muscles in both legs, also is a roster possibility along with center fielder Trent Grisham, sidelined since straining his right hamstring on Sept. 4, and Weathers, who hasn't pitched since Aug. 22 because of a left forearm flexor strain.
Weathers appeared unlikely since he threw BP to Judge, Stanton and Grisham. "There’s a few roster decisions still that we keep kind of bouncing back and forth, thinking about lineup construction," Boone said. "So those are still things that I’m wrestling with to some degree.
Ultimately, we’ve got to settle on it tomorrow and go let it rip." Reporting by The Associated Press.
