The Yankees are in the unfamiliar position of finishing out the final weeks of the 2023 MLB season.
Holding last place in the American League East division, 18 games behind the Orioles, the New York faces the question of whether or not to rest veteran players in favor of younger talent.
One of those veterans is reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge. While the Yankees still need his production and fans want to see him play, Judge is struggling with a toe injury that sidelined him for 42 games earlier this season. And that injury is affecting his performance.
Judge is batting .256 with a .977 OPS, 31 home runs, and 58 RBI, far below the numbers he posted last season. Since returning from the IL, he's compiled a .211 batting average and has only two hits in his past 21 at-bats.
AP/John Minchillo
Should the Yankees shut down Judge for the rest of the season? Manager Aaron Boone says there are no plans to do so, despite the risk of further injury to a 31-year-old star in the first year of a nine-year, $360 million contract.
"Judgey wants to play,” Boone told reporters before Wednesday's rainout, per NJ.com's Max Goodman. “Judgey wants to be a part of it, set a tone and example for the younger guys coming up too. So we’ll certainly be mindful of that and try not to put anyone in harm’s way certainly, but also treating these as very important games."
The Yankees are a longshot for the AL’s third wild-card playoff spot, 7 1/2 games behind the Mariners. But they also have to battle their division rivals, the Blue Jays and Red Sox, for that bid with 17 games remaining.
