Aaron Judge (New York Yankees), who made history last year by hitting 62 home runs, is headed to the disabled list (IL). Will it shake up the American League’s home run race?
According to ‘The Athletic’ and ‘USA Today’, Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced that Aaron Judge will be placed on the disabled list on July 7 (ET).
Judge had a tremendous season last year, hitting .311 with 177 hits, 131 RBIs, 133 runs scored, and a 1.111 OPS in 157 games. His 62 home runs were the most among players without a history of PED use, and he also set the American League record for most home runs in a single season. He also won the American League MVP title on the strength of his performance.
After hitting 62 home runs, Judge signed a nine-year, $360 million jackpot contract with the Yankees, and he was on pace to lead the American League in home runs again this season, batting .291 with 40 doubles, 42 RBIs, a 1.078 OPS and 19 home runs in 49 games, when he ran into an unexpected reef.
On April 4 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. With the Yankees leading 5-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning, J.D. Martinez hit a big fly ball to right field with the bases loaded. That’s when Jersey made an incredible defensive play, slamming his body into the fence to catch the ball. It was a great catch that prevented what could have been a run, but it was a problem.
Judge made the catch through the barbed wire fence, which was in place at the time, and suffered a bruised right big toe and ligament damage in the process. He didn’t return to the starting lineup until April 4 against the Dodgers, when he was placed on the disabled list.
“It goes without saying that losing Judge under any circumstances is like having one hand tied in the Yankees’ lineup,” said The Athletic. “It goes without saying that losing Judge under any circumstances would be like taking a hand off the Yankees’ lineup. Judge was 4-6 when he went on the disabled list with a hip injury earlier this season. It’s impossible to make up for the loss of an MVP,” he said, noting the impact Jersey’s departure will have on the Yankees.
It’s unclear how much Jersey will miss. “The most important thing right now is to get the swelling out,” said manager Aaron Boone. “He felt a little better today. Now we’ll see where we are in the coming days and weeks.”토토사이트
With Judge out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, the American League’s home run lead could change. Judge currently leads the league with 19 home runs, but is closely followed by Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels), Jordan Alvarez (Houston Astros) with 16, and Adolis Garcia (Texas Rangers) with 15. How Jersey’s departure will change things.