BRONX, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 21: New York Yankee general manager Brian Cashman speaks to the media during a press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 21, 2022 in Bronx, New York. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
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The New York Yankees remain firmly in the American League playoff picture despite losing superstar Aaron Judge to the injured list.
The team recently took a series from the American League Central leading Cleveland Guardians, immediately after a brutal setback in Judge’s injury status indicated the franchise slugger would be sidelined with a fractured rib for a significant stretch.
“I’m very disappointed,” Judge said of the diagnosis, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. “That’s why we went through every measure we could, to get every expert to take a look and see what was going on in there. It’s definitely not what you want to hear, a fracture or anything like that.”
New York Yankees Urged To Consider Aaron Judge Replacement Trade After Injury
Following that development, the Yankees indicated that Judge will be out for a month at the least, but it seems he could be recovering for even longer than that. And, as a result, the team has been urged to evaluate potential replacement options before the upcoming trade deadline.
“There’s really no good time to lose Aaron Judge, but for the Yankees, this is probably the time it hurts the least to endure an extended absence from the game’s most devastating offensive force,” ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle wrote. “If they do (make a trade), then it’s still about October, and for that part of the calendar, they might look at adding another righty bat, perhaps a third baseman and, certainly, some bullpen help.”
But even though it seems like a replacement on offense might be top-of-mind for the Yankees’ front office after losing Judge, the general manager has shared a different outlook.
New York Yankees’ Brian Cashman Offers Trade Deadline Response After Aaron Judge Injury
Though Judge’s absence is significant, given both his production and his importance in the clubhouse, the team appears optimistic that he will return in the earlier part of his recovery timeline and that seems to have shaped a trade deadline decision.
“I don’t think (Judge’s injury will impact the trade deadline),” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said, according to CBS Sports’ Julian McWilliams. “If we expect him back, which we do, then I don’t see why that would impact something for the deadline. So, we just have to be able to hold the fort and hold that spot nice and warm until he returns.”
Those comments suggest the Yankees still view Judge’s injury as a temporary obstacle rather than a truly season-altering event. The organization appears confident enough in both Judge’s eventual return and the current roster to continue operating under the same deadline blueprint that existed before the injury diagnosis.
For now, that confidence is well placed. But if the team endures a significant slide between now and the August trade deadline, Cashman could decide to pivot on his decision to stand pat in the slugger replacement market.