The New York Yankees were recently swept by the Boston Red Sox. Yankees fans are pleading for Aaron Judge's return from injury, but Anthony Rizzo issued a brutally honest message in regards to Judge's absence after the sweep, per Bryan Hoch.

“There's 30 teams in baseball right now that don't have Aaron Judge,” Rizzo said. “I don't think it's different for any other team. … I know the narrative is ‘without Judge,' but I don't think that's fair to put on him or anyone on this team.”

The Yankees remain in third place in the American League East with a 39-33 record. However, they currently trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 10.5 games in the division. New York's injuries have played a major role in their season, which has led to inconsistent play at times.

All things considered, the Yankees are performing fairly well considering the circumstances. Nevertheless, the sweep at the hands of the Red Sox was obviously far from ideal.

Although Anthony Rizzo makes a valid point, it is clear that the Yankees need Aaron Judge back as soon as possible. The reigning AL MVP is slashing .291/.404/.674 with a .674 OPS and 19 home runs in 49 games this season. The AL MVP race will likely come down to Judge and Shohei Ohtani once again.

For now, though, the Yankees will try to bounce back despite Judge's injury-related absence. Rizzo and other veterans must lead the charge moving forward. New York will look to rebound on Tuesday in a home matchup against the Seattle Mariners.