New York Yankees star and super early AL MVP candidate Aaron Judge exited Tuesday night’s series-opening win against the Baltimore Orioles (NYY 4, BAL 2) one inning after taking a pitch to his left hand. Judge stayed in to run the bases and played defense in the next half-inning, then Trent Grisham pinch-hit for him the inning after that.
Judge was sent for an X-ray and CT scan at New York-Presbyterian Tuesday night and will see the team doctor. Yankees manager Aaron Boone did not have an update on Judge following Tuesday’s game, per MLB.com. Here is the pitch — a 94.1 mph fastball from Albert Suárez — that hit Judge on the bottom of the hand rather than flush on top. Still, Judge was clearly in pain and upset:
In 2018, Judge missed close to two months with a small fracture in his right wrist after being hit by a pitch. That errant pitch was more of a direct hit, though Judge is unfortunately familiar with injuries that are the result of being hit by a pitch.
Needless to say, losing Judge for any length of time would be a devastating blow to a Yankees team that took MLB’s best record (50-24) into Tuesday’s game. Judge is again playing at an MVP level: .299/.425/.686 while leading the league in doubles (22), home runs (26), RBI (64), total bases (181), and WAR (5.0). That’s after a slow start to the season too.
The Yankees have lost several top outfield prospects to injury recently. Jasson Domínguez completed his rehab from Tommy John surgery, then suffered an oblique injury on a swing this past weekend. The Yankees are awaiting test results to determine the severity. Everson Pereira, who had a stint with the Yankees last year, had season-ending elbow surgery earlier this month.
If Judge misses time, even only a few days, the Yankees will slot Grisham into center field and let the two-time Gold Glover catch everything hit his way. The larger issue is losing Judge’s bat, which is irreplaceable. The Yankees would still have Juan Soto, of course, but Soto and Judge are a powerhouse duo.
Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo suffered a broken bone in his right arm on a collision at first base this past Sunday. He will miss eight weeks or so. New York will welcome Gerrit Cole back to the rotation Wednesday, but Rizzo is down and now we await an update on Judge.
The Los Angeles Dodgers lost superstar Mookie Betts to a broken bone in his hand when he was hit by a pitch this past weekend. He’s expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
