The Yankees’ return home from their west-coast swing comes with an extra helping of unease as slugger Aaron Judge expects to undergo imaging on his injured toe.
He was out of the lineup for Sunday’s 4-1 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers but told reporters afterward that tests were needed to confirm whether or not the toe is broken.
“It’s tough to say,” Judge said. “I’ve never broken a toe, so we’ll see. We’ll see what the tests say. I don’t want to throw anything out there just yet.”
The 31-year-old suffered the injury during Saturday night’s matchup in Los Angeles when he made a running catch and crashed into the right-field fence — causing the gates of the wall to open — on a JD Martinez liner in the eighth inning of a 5-3 game. The Yankees went on to win 6-3.
If the toe is broken, Judge faces an extended absence that could slow down a Bronx Bombers club that has recently rounded into form with six wins in their last eight. While it’s hasty to prescribe a timeline for such an injury, San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove fractured his toe after dropping a weight on it in late February and didn’t make his 2023 debut until April 22.
Judge is putting together another elite power-hitting season, batting .291 with a 1.078 OPS, 19 home runs, and 40 RBI in 49 games this season. At his current pace, that translates to 50 home runs in 130 games a year after setting the American League home run record with 62.
