The New York Yankees have been able to stay above water, but it's certainly much more difficult to stack up wins without superstar Aaron Judge in the middle of the lineup.
The 34-year-old hasn't played in a game since May 31. Beforehand, Judge had crushed 17 home runs and driven in 38 runs in 59 games played. Judge started the season off slowly, but was really starting to find his footing before he landed on the Injured List due to a right rib stress fracture.
When it comes to the hulking slugger, the biggest question that naturally pops up is when we could see him again? Judge has been adamant that he will play again this season. But, again, when could that be?
Well, while there has not been a concrete timeline given by the team, we can start to piece together the bits of information that are out there.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported that both Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton could be back right around Sep. 1. In the process, Heyman also noted that Judge is "somewhat" behind is teammates.
"The current guesstimate is that both Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton could be back sometime around Sept. 1," Heyman wrote. "The Yankees don’t like to provide timetables on the great Aaron Judge, but it’s conceded he’s somewhat behind the other two stars."
On top of this, SNY's Chelsea Janes was asked for a timeline for Judge's eventual return. They pointed to mid-September as a time to watch.
"More likely, barring setbacks, I could see Judge building up to mid-September – and, given his penchant for aura, maybe even targeting the series against the Mets on the 25th anniversary of September 11," Janes wrote. "Returning then would give him two weeks to recalibrate to big league pitching before the playoffs, which would seem like plenty for someone as in-tune with his swing as Judge."
Again, nothing concrete has been given by the team. What is clear is that we will not be seeing Judge on the field for at least the next few weeks in August.