‘No Next Steps’ So Far for Aaron Judge’s Toe Injury
Officially, the Yankees will be without Aaron Judge for at least a week after he was formally placed on the injured list on Wednesday with a big toe sprain on his right foot. But Judge – who injured himself in a jumping catch that carried him through the right field fence at Dodger Stadium on Saturday – has no real timeline for returning to the active roster.
“No next steps,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Remember to get an injection in your big toe, at the joint. You have to get over that, then we will see where we are.”
Judge received a plasma shot of platelets in his toe on Tuesday night as the Yankees lost 3-2 to the Chicago White Sox. If the shot swelling subsides in a few days, as expected, the Yankees will have a clearer picture of how Judge should proceed.
This is the second IL stint this season for Judge, who missed 10 days last month with a right hip strain. He has still managed to lead the American League in home runs, with 19, and has the best slugging percentage (.674) and on-base plus slugging percentage (1,078) in the majors.
“I think technically you have less margin of error if you take the best player in the sport out of your lineup every day,” Boone said. “But having said that, we’re also getting some key players back in our line-up, a line-up that, frankly, has done a really good job over the last two weeks scoring points and scoring in different ways.”
For right-handed hitters like Judge, the right big toe is the catalyst for turning the lower half of the body when they swing. Infielder DJ LeMahieu, who broke the sesamoid bone in his right big toe last season and subsequently suffered ligament damage in his second toe, was severely hampered by the injury. It took him most of September and all of the postseason – and brought quite a bit of embarrassment.
“It sounds stupid because it’s your toe,” LeMahieu said Wednesday. “But it has a big effect on a lot.”
LeMahieu said he had seen Judge’s toe, which he called “completely black and blue,” but had not spoken to Judge about the specifics of the injury. He said anyone with a foot injury should prepare to be frustrated.
“The feet heal slowly,” LeMahieu said. “If you have an injury again, I feel like it’s always like, ‘OK, it’s four to six weeks, this is the rehab, then you’re good to go.’ But with the feet it is so complicated that no one has an answer.”
Boone said Judge’s toe problem at least seemed easier than LeMahieu’s injury last season. But the Yankees won’t know for sure until Judge begins his recovery, which is on hold for now. In any case, Judge will miss the rest of this homestand – a doubleheader with Chicago on Thursday and three weekend games with the Boston Red Sox – as well as the first game against the Mets at Citi Field next Tuesday.
The team promoted outfielder Billy McKinney, a left-handed hitter who batted .274 with nine home runs for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, to replace Judge on the active roster. McKinney, 28, played the first two games of his major league career with the Yankees in 2018 and has since played for Toronto, Milwaukee, the Mets, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland.