The New York Yankees have been without Aaron Judge since suffering a torn toe ligament back in June. While Judge is working towards a return, the outfielder is expecting toe problems for the remainder of the season.
Judge has begun taking live batting practice as he looks to get back on the field. However, the former MVP admitted that even when he returns his toe will still be bothering him, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
“It's not going to be pain-free,” Judge said. “But we'll just get as close to manageable as we can.”
The Yankees have been counting on Judge to make a return at some point this season. However, there has never been a firm timetable for when the slugger might actually be back. Being able to take live BP shows that Judge is inching closer to his return. However, a lingering toe injury could hamper his production.
Aaron Judge was putting together another strong season before going down with his injury. Through 49 games this season, Judge was hitting .291 with 19 home runs and 40 RBI. He's coming off of his historic MVP season, in which he hit .311 with 62 home runs and 131 RBI.
If the Yankees want to make a run in the playoffs, they'll need Judge. They seemed poised to hit their timetable of getting him back before the end of the season. However, even when he does return, Judge's toe won't be the same. He'll have to learn how to mash home runs while battling through the pain.