Yankees slugger Aaron Judge reveals he has torn ligament in toe, says he’s still in pain
NEW YORK — We finally learned the true nature of Aaron Judge’s toe injury on Saturday.
The Yankees superstar slugger told reporters ahead of Saturday afternoon’s game against the Rangers that he has more than just a sprain, he has a torn ligament in his big right toe.
He said he is still dealing with pain when he walks. The news comes two days after the Yankees had said Judge could possibly start baseball activities this weekend.
Judge, who was officially placed on the injured list on June 7 (retroactive to June 4), hurt his toe when he made a highlight reel catch on J.D. Martinez on June 3 against the Dodgers in Los Angeles and crashed through the portion of the outfield fence that doubled as the door to the Yankees’ bullpen.
“I’m not giving you any timeline,” Judge told reporters at Yankee Stadium. “There’s no need. I’ve just got to get better and then I’ll be out there.”
The Yankees desperately miss Judge’s presence in the lineup. He was hitting .291/.404/.674 with 19 home runs and 40 RBIS in his first 49 games for the Bombers.
“I don’t think too many people 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 got timelines 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.”
A little over a week ago Judge received a second PRP injection on the ailing toe.
Judge, who did rehab work in a pool on Wednesday, said the next step is “maybe play catch, maybe take some dry swings.”
Judge cashed in on his record-breaking ‘22 campaign in which he broke Roger Maris’ American League home run record with 62 and was named the AL MVP when he signed a nine-year, $360 million contract in December. Later that month, Judge was named the 16th captain in the storied history of the franchise and first since Derek Jeter retired.
The Yankees (41-35) are a much different team when their biggest threat is sidelined by injury. Entering Saturday’s game, the Bombers are 10-16 this season without Judge.
This is Judge’s second stint on the IL this season. He missed 10 games at the beginning of May after suffering a right hip strain trying to steal third base in a game against the Minnesota Twins on April 26.
“He’s out right now,” Boone said Saturday when quizzed about when Judge could return to action. “So just trying to, obviously, get him well and back as soon as possible, but whether we had a defined day where he’d be back in, the reality is we’re without him right now and we got to find a way to get it done.”