For all intents and purposes, the New York Yankees 2023 season went down in flames when Aaron Judge injured his toe out in Los Angeles.
The towering 6-foot-7, 282-pound superstar outfielder missed 42 games following the ligament tear in his right big toe.
The Bombers weren’t nearly the same team without his presence on the field and (certainly) his bat in the lineup.
The #Yankees The Yankees
with Aaron Judge without Aaron Judge pic.twitter.com/0AdZapSo6p— Christian (@Christian_NYYST) June 15, 2023
With the new season upon us, Yankee fans are thrilled to have Judge back at full strength.
But is he actually at full strength???
Unfortunately, Judge admitted that his toe injury is something he’s going to have to monitor and deal with for the rest of his career.
“It’s going to be I think a constant maintenance I think the rest of my career,” Judge said. “Anything with injuries like that, you just gotta stay on top of it so it doesn’t flare up again.”
Aaron Judge has zero plans to sue the Dodgers when asked if he planned to file a lawsuit.
The Yankees captain has been sidelined since early June with a toe injury after crashing through a fence at Dodger Stadium on this play.pic.twitter.com/eiswSancLk
— Yahoo Sports MLB (@MLByahoosports) July 7, 2023
Judge finished the 2023 season with 37 home runs, 75 RBI’s and a .262 battering average across 106 games played.
But the large chunk of season he missed helped doom the Yankees as they finished with their worst record in 30 years.
"No one wants to go back to '23 and the only way to put '23 behind us is to have a double down focus on '24"
– Brian Cashman on moving on from the 2023 season pic.twitter.com/1VaKuDGTFP
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 15, 2024
Reflecting on the incident that led to his injury, Judge kept his humor, saying: “I keep getting hurt in right field, so I think that’s why they moved me to center field.”
He admitted that the injury has given him a new mindset and approach when playing the outfield…
“I think it’s about playing smarter, understanding the field, understanding the dimensions…just like this year, I’ve got to play smart,” he said.
Aaron Judge's toe will need to be managed for the rest of his career. Concerning?@RothenbergESPN | @DanGraca
LISTEN: https://t.co/jLsa28D8OE. pic.twitter.com/FeHAfIRm5s
— DiPietro & Rothenberg (@DRonESPN) February 21, 2024
There’s no downplaying how disappointing last season was for the Yankees. In actuality, “disappointing” is not nearly a strong enough word. Not by a long shot.
“A lot of guys were embarrassed … (It was) kind of a wake-up call,” Judge admitted.
Hey @aaronjudge i don’t need my big toe you can have it if you want https://t.co/TjKJ17n3XI
— Dom (@BronxBmbrz) February 20, 2024
Despite his personal achievements and accolades over eight major league seasons, including breaking records and All-Star selections, Judge remains focused on achieving the ultimate goal: winning a championship.
“My best season will be when we’re holding up that trophy,” Judge said.
(To his credit, Judge has always said and done the right thing, both on and off the field … He’s nothing but absolute class and will surely find himself in Monument Park one day.)
“He is not only the face of our team, but I think certainly one of the faces of the game,” manager Aaron Boone correctly said of Judge.
How's he going to play center with that bothering him?
— Chris Bailey (@chrisbaileyguy) February 20, 2024
What are your thoughts on Judge entering the 2024 season?
Are you worried that his toe injury is going to linger and affect him for the rest of his career?
As far as the Bombers go, is this the year they FINALLY win the World Series???
Yankee fans certainly hope so … After all, 2009 was a lifetime ago!