Aaron Judge has willingly embraced his current role as the New York Yankees’ big-bodied hype man and cheerleader on the bench.
But he’s long past ready to retire from it.
When the right fielder was taken to a nearby hospital after taking a 94 mph fastball off the outside of his right wrist July 26, the belief was that he would have returned to the Yankees’ everyday lineup by now.cheap nike nfl jerseys paypal
So was the Yankees’ initial three-week prognosis for his return from a chip fracture unreasonable?
“It may have been optimistic, but it wasn’t unreasonable,” says Stephania Bell, ESPN’s injury analyst, a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist.
As Judge’s return from injury takes longer than originally expected, Bell offers this reminder to those feeling uneasy about the now-delayed comeback: “Sometimes things go at a different pace than what you’re hoping for. I’m not overly alarmed.”
If anything, Bell says she believes Yankees fans should embrace the cautious, steady approach their team has taken with the superstar’s recovery.
“Everybody in October — if they’re still playing and he’s playing well — will be very happy that they took their time here,” she says.
It’s important to note that Bell has not evaluated Judge, nor does she have detailed medical specifics of his injury. But her experience in the field can help in understanding some of what Judge probably has gone through since suffering his injury, and what he might have to look forward to when he returns.nike nfl jerseys cheap paypal
What complicates matters for the Yankees is the 11-10 record they have since Judge was hurt. Although that mark improved by a win with Friday night’s rain-shortened 7-5 victory over Toronto, the Yankees could still really use his bat near the top of the batting order as they push for a spot in the American League wild-card game, and hope for a miracle in the AL East standings.
In the 20 games they’ve played without Judge entering Friday night, the Yankees had hit a combined .237 with a .316 on-base percentage. They also scored just 4.8 runs per game in that span.
Before Judge was injured, New York had hit .254 with a .331 on-base percentage this season while scoring 5.2 runs per game. Clearly, the Yankees are now missing his presence.
