The New York Yankees may need to pivot at the MLB trade deadline thanks to the most recent Aaron Judge news.
The New York Yankees are not exactly collapsing right now, but they are definitely scuffling after a four-game sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees scored a grand total of nine runs in the series and couldn't seem to buy a hit with runners in scoring position, which has been a rather common theme for the squad over the last week-and-a-half.
New York has lost seven of its last nine games, and it's becoming more and more clear that reality is starting to set in with both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton sidelined.
The problem? There doesn't seem to be a clear return date for either slugger, and the most recent news on Judge was enough to send any Yankees fan spiraling.
When Judge hit the injured list with a stress fracture in his rib to start the month of June, the initial expectation was that he would be back in mid-August.
Well, that doesn't appear to be the case anymore.
There is no timetable for Judge's return at this point, and Aaron Boone recently revealed that the Yankee captain is not even ready for re-imaging yet.
So, that mid-August return? Yeah, it probably isn't happening, and at this point, it wouldn't be surprising if Judge didn't get back until September.
The question is, how will that affect New York's MLB trade deadline plans?
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images.It's clear that without Judge (and Stanton), the Yankees' offense is very ordinary, if not a bit below average. Ben Rice had been one of the best hitters in baseball through May, but he is slashing a meager .202/.286/.372 in June.
Chalk it up to a slump all you want, but I don't think it's mere happenstance that Rice's slide coincides with Judge's trip to the IL. Not to mention the fact that Rice's numbers also dipped a bit in May with Stanton out of the lineup.
If it becomes obvious that Judge is going to be on the shelf until possibly September, the Yankees may need to pursue another big bat.
There has already been chatter about New York making a move for Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers to replace Austin Wells and his league-worst .499 OPS, but the Yanks might need even more than that.
Of course, we don't know exactly who will be available just yet. The deadline isn't until Aug. 3, and there are very few teams that are out of playoff contention at the moment. Even the Red Sox, who are just 36-46, find themselves three games out of a Wild Card spot in the loss column after sweeping the Yankees at Fenway.
But a whole lot can change over the next four-plus weeks, so some enticing sluggers should hit the trade block.
On that same token, it's entirely possible that New York receives some positive news on Judge's recovery between now and then, but based on the current pace, it doesn't appear that will be the case.
If the Yankees are going to be without Judge beyond the next two months, they seriously need to consider bringing in another bat to stabilize a lineup that has been utterly putrid for the better part of the last two weeks.
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