The New York Yankees have announced a brutal decision on Aaron Judge.
The biggest fears of New York Yankees fans have been realized.
After superstar Aaron Judge exited early against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, there was a general unease among Yankees fans. It didn't appear too serious at first, but the team's silence on the matter was concerning.
Well, on Friday, the Yankees officially placed Judge on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain, which could very well end his season.
Or, at the very least, it could keep the three-time MVP sidelined until the playoffs.
Judge had just returned from a rib stress fracture that caused him to miss three-plus months between June and early September. He went 4-for-24 with a home run after returning on Sept. 8, and then succumbed to another injury.
For the 34-year-old, this marks the fifth season in his 11-year long MLB career in which he has dealt with considerable medical issues.
He missed significant time three years in a row between 2018, 2019 and 2020. He then sat for a massive chunk of 2023 and has missed the majority of 2026.
Is there a chance that Judge returns this year? Perhaps, depending on the severity of the strain, but it's important to remember that Giancarlo Stanton sustained a calf injury back in late April and has been sidelined ever since.
Every player is different, but with Judge being such a large man at 6-foot-7, 282 pounds, the muscle could take a bit longer to heal than the average player — much like in the case of Stanton, who has suffered multiple setbacks in his recovery.
Judge has slashed .241/.360/.511 with 18 home runs and 41 RBI over 285 plate appearances this season. The .871 OPS marks his least productive campaign since playing just 27 games in 2016, when he finished with a .608 mark.
The eight-time All-Star is widely viewed as the best player in the league when healthy, and in 2024 and 2025, he only missed 14 games combined.
But Judge's health certainly caught up with him this season, and at this point, you do have to wonder what the future holds for the Yankee Captain, who turns 35 years old next April.
