In all likelihood, the Boston Red Sox will face the New York Yankees in the Wild Card round for the second consecutive year. A development from New York's September 16 game against the Minnesota Twins could help turn the series in Boston's favor.
The Yankees pulled Aaron Judge before his sixth inning at-bat on Wednesday afternoon. The star outfielder spent over three months on the injured list with a stress fracture of the ribs, which severely impacted his ability to swing.
Yankees fans held their collective breath as they waited for an update on Judge's condition. They wondered if he re-triggered his rib injury or another one flared up. Finally, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reported that the towering righty left with lower leg tightness.
Judge will need to be examined after the game to determine the severity of his injury and whether or not he needs another IL stint. Fans seemingly caught the outfielder grimacing during his last at-bat before he was pulled, which could suggest his injury is more than just a cramp. If Judge does need another stint on the IL, the Red Sox could luck out.
Red Sox may get unexpected advantage in Wild Card series after Aaron Judge leaves Yankees mid-game
The season ends on September 27 and October, when the Sox and Yankees are bound to face each other again, is right around the corner. New York's lineup is far less potent without Judge — the Yankees posted a .682 OPS as a team from May 31-September 7 while Judge was absent. The metric is the 27th-worst team OPS in the league in that time. The Red Sox posted a .752 OPS as a team over that spell, the fifth-best.
Even when healthy this season, Judge hasn't looked like his usual self at the plate. He's only slashing .241/.360/.511 with 10 doubles and 16 home runs over 66 games this season — perfectly reasonable production from anyone else, but this is Judge we're talking about. He'd logged four hits, including a home run, two runs and three RBI in the seven games since he came off the IL.
Despite being out of action for months, Judge returned to the Yankees' lineup without taking a minor league rehab assignment. The risk hasn't paid off for New York, as Judge isn't swinging like his usual healthy self and it may have missed out on a different ailment in his leg.
Players getting injured isn't a good thing and it would be nice to beat the Yankees in the Wild Card round at their best. Judge historically hasn't had his usual, regular-season offensive success in the postseason (.236/.346/.476 slash line over 65 games across 17 series) so his presence may not make a world of difference for New York. But the Red Sox will be happy with any advantage they can get in front of that horrifying pitching staff fronted by Cam Schlittler and Max Fried.
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