NEW YORK — On a night when it seemed like the Bronx had gone dark well before sunset, the Yankees received disappointing injury news that certainly dampened spirits at their clubhouse. Hitter Aaron Judge and left-hander Nestor Cortes will both be placed on the injured list, manager Aaron Boone announced after the team’s 3-2 loss to the White Sox in the Bronx on Tuesday night.
Judge has a bruise and sprained ligament in his right big toe and received a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection in his toe Tuesday night. Prior to the loss, Boone shared that Judge had talked to Dr. Christopher Ahmad felt a little better. He contracted the disease after running into the fence during a highlight reel catch at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. Judge was absent from the squad two straight games after the collision and received an X-ray on Monday.
“The biggest thing right now is getting the swelling out of there,” Boone said. “He saw improvements today but now we’re just trying to see where we are in the coming weeks or days.”
Boone said Judge’s X-rays were negative and showed no breaks or fractures in the big toe. That was a small moment of optimism from Boone, but the sobering reality of life without a judge in the Yankees lineup was still present.
“I think it definitely could have been worse,” Boone said. “I have a feeling he will be fine, he just needs some more time now. Hopefully it’s a little shorter, but the biggest thing is getting rid of the swelling there. Look, every time you lose Aaron Judge for a long time and he goes to IL – hopefully for a short time – you don’t like it.”
The reigning American League home run champion has been on the mend lately, and any lengthy absence would be a major blow to the Bronx Bombers. In 49 games, Judge hits .291/.404/.674 with 19 home runs, leading the AL.
This is Judge’s second IL appearance this season after missing ten games with a right hip strain. Still, following his historic AL MVP season in 2022, Judge has broadly matched his 2023 pace per game.
The entire Yankees team understands the importance of having a judge present not only on the field but also in the clubhouse.
“I can’t replace this guy,” said Josh Donaldson, who scored in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s loss. “From a leadership perspective [or] from a playful point of view. We just have to get together as a team and train the bats, play good defense, throw the ball well and hopefully keep winning ball games until he comes back.”
Clarke Schmidt, who started Tuesday’s defeat, shared that sentiment.
“Everyone knows how influential he is as a player – in our line-up, in defense and in the dressing room,” Schmidt said after the game. “I think, more importantly, he’s just there for us. Obviously he’s the captain. He’s a great leader. It’s a hard blow.”
On the pitching side, it was already anticipated that Cortes would be sent to the IL with a slight shoulder strain after experiencing “pain” in his pitching arm between starts. The southpaw received a cortisone shot Tuesday to start the rehab process and will not throw for at least ten days.
Cortes shared more details on the shoulder pain that prompted him to see a team doctor in the first place after his most recent start in Seattle.
“It didn’t bother me at first,” Cortes said after Tuesday’s game. “It was just the recovery in between, which took a little longer than usual to get right.
“It’s just gotten harder to ‘not get sore.'” After Seattle, I don’t usually throw the day after the pitch, so I took that day off and then we had a day off. When I got to LA and threw the first day, it didn’t feel right. … That second day in LA, I said something because it felt like I just pitched yesterday. So I didn’t recover in time.”