Who’s to blame for Aaron Judge’s failed Yankees comeback? | Klapisch
· Yahoo Sports
NEW YORK — The image of the Rays whooping it up on the Yankees’ infield on Tuesday — high-fives, cigars, T-shirt that read American League East Champs – put the finishing touches on a miserable night in the Bronx.
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Not only did the Rays clinch the division by winning the second game of a doubleheader, but the Yankees doomed themselves to the wild-card series and confirmed that Aaron Judge won’t be back in time for the first round.
The Yankees will somehow have to get past the Red Sox next week without their three-time MVP. The Rays, the American League’s lone powerhouse, will be a bigger problem in the division series. There’s no reason to believe Judge will be healthy by the second round, either.
In fact, Judge could be done for 2026. A Grade 2 calf strain, even if it’s considered moderate by doctors, requires 2-4 weeks of rest, possibly even six. That’s a gut punch. Judge can attempt to condense the time frame, but he already tried that with his fractured rib — and look what happened.
The Captain was never himself in a 17-at-bat cameo after coming off the injured list two weeks ago. He lacked the raw power and timing that have intimidated AL pitchers for years. That’s the price Judge paid for a rushed comeback.
I don’t blame him for wanting to help. He hungers for a championship as any leader should. The playoffs were just around the corner. But the issue is whether Judge should’ve sat out the remainder of the regular season and then begun rehab during the wild-card series. That might’ve given him a shot to fully contribute in late October.
But Judge insisted on ramping up now. He was just as determined about skipping a minor-league rehab assignment. Instead, while the Yankees were in Minnesota, Judge ended 100 days of inactivity by progressing from swinging a bat, to taking batting practice, to live batting practice, to his first game — all in four days.
And guess how that worked out? In less than a week, Judge strained the soleus muscle of his right calf, which he said, “is a little more crucial with running and hitting.”
I’m no doctor, but it’s hard not to believe the hurried recovery was a contributing factor in Judge’s second injury.
The shoulder and calf are not part of the same kinetic chain, but the rushed timeline appears to be more than a coincidence. Still, Judge did himself no favors by strong-arming his manager Aaron Boone, general manager Brian Cashman and the medical staff. He should’ve waited an extra week and played at least a couple of games in the minors.
The Yankees’ hierarchy should be asking itself whether Judge should’ve been allowed to dictate the time and pace of his comeback — no matter how well-intentioned it was. It sure looks like it backfired.
To be clear: I don’t fault Judge for believing he could pull it off. That confidence is an integral part of being a pillar of the organization. The Yankees look up to Judge because of a larger-than-life vibe that makes him appear indestructible, even when he’s not.
“(Judge is) our guy, he’s the president of this team,” said outfielder Heliot Ramos. “By not having him out there, it’s going to be super tough on us, super tough on this team.”
Judge’s absence will only widen the gap between the Yankees and the Rays. Tuesday’s doubleheader split not only clinched the AL East for Tampa Bay, but it served as a preview of what the division series will look like if the Yankees get past Boston.
The Rays play cleaner, smarter, more athletic baseball, especially at Tropicana Field, where they own MLB’s best home record (55-26). They can be shut down – Carlos Rodon’s 2-0 gem in the opener proved that. But Tampa Bay’s 6-1 win in the nightcap allowed them to celebrate on the Yankee Stadium infield.
That was almost as humiliating as the Dodgers partying on the pitcher’s mound after winning the decisive Game 5 of the 2024 World Series in the Bronx.
Like the Dodgers did two years ago, the Rays never fail to expose the Yankees’ weaknesses. The Rays’ lineup is MLB’s toughest to strikeout; the Yankees, by contrast, struck out 24 times in the doubleheader. And the difference between the clubs in the late innings is staggering.
The Rays are 15-6 when they’re tied going into the seventh inning. The Yankees are just 10-11 in the same scenario.
Not surprisingly, the Yankees made two fatal mistakes in the nightcap. Spencer Jones’ sloppy handling allowed Tyler Walls to score all the way from first base on a single in the third inning. And Jazz Chisholm’s failure to cover first base on a squeeze bunt in the seventh inning contributed to the Rays’ three-run rally.
The Yankees’ punishment will be a perilous best-of-three shootout against Boston. Still, no one should be surprised. The Rays have been in first place since June 27. The Yankees sensed their rivals’ greatness — Boone praised the Rays for a “fantastic” season — but much of Tampa Bay’s success occurred while Judge was on the injured list with that fractured rib.
Boone believed Judge’s return would catalyze one of the more dramatic comebacks of his nine-year tenure.
The Rays will be home next week, resting up for the Yankees. Who knows if they will even make it to St. Pete?
One thing’s for sure: Judge won’t be there to rescue them.
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