The New York Yankees do not want Aaron Judge to be Spider-Man upon his return from injury.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters over the weekend that he expects Judge to “do a good job of protecting himself” in the outfield upon his return from injury, per Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. Boone added that Judge should be “selective” about when to dive for balls and put his body on the line.
Judge, the three-time AL MVP, is nearing a return to the lineup. He has been out since late May due to a stress fracture in his first right rib (spanning over three months missed and counting).
But Judge is reportedly expected to face live pitching on Monday for the first time since landing on the injured list. That could pave the way for Judge to return in the coming days.
Now 34 years old, Judge was hitting just .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs this season before going on the shelf (having seemingly been compromised by his injury). Still, the Yankees have managed to tread water in Judge’s extended absence, going 45-39 over that span to sit in the first AL Wild Card spot at 81-62 overall.
That said, the Yankees’ stance on Judge is obviously a perfectly reasonable one. You may recall that Judge also missed extended time a few years back due to an unusual injury that he suffered while playing in the outfield.
