The New York Yankees played most of the season without Aaron Judge, who missed over 80 games with a rib injury and then suffered a calf strain after returning.
Judge's late-season calf injury kept him out of the postseason as well. Now that the season is over, Judge will have time for his calf to heal, but general manager Brian Cashman provided an update on the three-time MVP.
"We did exit interviews with everybody, obviously, including Aaron Judge. He was not available to us in the postseason. There was no, you know, there was no willy-nilliness over that. You know, he just wasn't physically able to post for us. So, because of the calf. In terms of the rib, we did the exit interviews, exit physicals, and that all came out fine for us.
"And we do have a follow-up with the specialist, (Dr. Gregory Pearl), that has to take place still, just to be certain, because that's the expert in this field. And then once he weighs in, we'll have, you know, that all firmed up one way or the other. But as of right now, we feel like we're in a good place, and, you know, he can take advantage of the rest of the winter and be ready to go when spring training starts."
Looking for the perfect gift for a baseball player in your life? Check out our brand new baseball lifestyle brand!
It sounds like the Yankees are expecting Judge to be at 100% by the start of spring training. Manager Aaron Boone also noted that there are no medical procedures currently scheduled for Yankees players.
Losing Judge was a huge blow for the Yankees offense, and even when he did return from the rib injury, he injured his calf before he got his timing back.
Getting Judge back at full strength will be key for the Yankees next year, but what will be more important is whether he can stay healthy.