The New York Yankees fanbase desperately wants superstar Aaron Judge to make his return from a big toe injury after the team's bats went cold at home.
The New York Yankees watched in amazement after superstar Aaron Judge crashed through the right field fence at Dodger Stadium to make a catch. The issue was, he sprained and bruised his right big toe, sending him to the 15-day injured list. Judge already missed time with a hip strain, but upon returning, he won AL Player of the Month.
As Yankees fans have learned, when Judge isn't in the lineup, the team is in trouble.
After losing two-of-three games against the Chicago White Sox at home, the Yankees began a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox. New York lost back-to-back series' after losing 3-2 on Friday and 3-2 in 10 innings on Sunday night.
This season without Aaron Judge in the lineup, the Yankees are 8-10 and averaged just 3.3 runs per game, per Katie Sharp of Stathead. Additionally, the Yankees have scored three runs or less in 10-of-18 games without Judge in the lineup, per Sharp.
Yankees' batting order is inept without Aaron Judge
Let's take a look at some reactions from Yankees fans on Twitter, who are not exactly thrilled with the team's performance this past week.
We know that Judge is pivotal to the Yankee's success, but with the big names on the roster, they should be able to carry the load. Instead, the bats have gone cold in this homestand.
Take a look at how Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, D.J. LeMahieu, and Josh Donaldson have performed during the homestand since returning from Los Angeles, courtesy of River Ave. Blues.
A combined 10-for-71 in the batter's box from those five players. That's not ideal, especially when they are needed the most.
While the Yankees struggled to muster hits in last year's postseason against the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS and the Houston Astros in the ALCS, the team didn't make any major additions to it in the offseason to make it better. The team did call up top prospect Anthony Volpe at the end of spring training while bringing in Willie Calhoun, Jake Bauers, Greg Allen, and Billy McKinny at various times this season to help fill in for injured players.
Speaking of injuries, Judge isn't the only batter out injured. Harrison Bader is working his way off the injured list due to a right hamstring strain.
As for an update on Judge, manager Aaron Boone revealed on Saturday that the swelling in the outfielder's big toe is improving and that he talked with him about what the next few days could look like. In terms of a timetable for a return, that has yet to be revealed by the team.
The Yankees need Judge back soon, as evidenced by this homestand. But, Judge can't do it all when he returns. With the Aug. 1 trade deadline approaching, one has to wonder if the Yankees will do anything to improve the batting order or continue to hope that they can break out of their funk.