New York Yankees' Aaron Judge is Missing the Big Picture

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge made his long-awaited return from a rib stress fracture on Tuesday night and ended up going 0-for-3 with a couple of strikeouts before being removed from the game after six innings.

Judge had not played since May 31 and refused a rehab assignment, so Aaron Boone is understandably trying to take things slowly with his right fielder.

But that doesn't mean Judge is happy about it.

After the Yankees 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies, Judge made it clear that he was not thrilled about his early exit.

“I feel great, I played half a game, so I don’t know what to say about that,” Judge said. “... I respect Boone, so whatever he says, I’m going to do. I’m not happy about it, but that’s where my guy [Heliot] Ramos picked me up and hit a nice little three-run homer to put the game out [of reach].”

Judge wants to play. That's understandable. But so is Boone's decision to ensure that nothing happens to the slugger before October.

Boone is in the right here. He is looking at the big picture. He knows that New York has zero chance of winning a World Series without Judge in the lineup.

Judge needs to see that, too.

The 34-year-old — who has played in just one World Series thus far in his career — should be more concerned with winning a ring than an early September game against the Rockies.

And obviously, Judge wants to win a championship. But his reaction to Boone's decision makes it clear that he is not seeing the forest for the trees.

The Yankees managed to stay afloat without Judge. It was actually pretty admirable. But they certainly didn't thrive, and their remaining in contention had far more to do with their dynamite pitching staff than anything the offense did in Judge's absence.

Remember: Giancarlo Stanton has been sidelined since late April, as well. New York has been without its top two hitters for the majority of the season, so getting Judge back into the fold changes everything.

If he stays healthy, of course.

Boone's top priority is keeping Judge fresh for the playoffs. Does Judge need some at-bats? Sure, but he'll get them. He received three in six innings Tuesday evening. If he can average three a day before October, that's more than enough. That's all Judge needs.

Yankees fans rag on Boone a whole lot, and much of their reasoning is sound. But this time, it's Boone who is correct in his judgment. Now, Judge needs to follow suit.