Major League Baseball

Aaron Judge will be sidelined for a while. How long can the Yankees survive without him?

Updated Jun. 26, 2023 2:20 p.m. ET

NEW YORK — Don’t expect Aaron Judge back in the Yankees lineup anytime soon.

That was the unfortunate message delivered by the reigning MVP this past weekend at Yankee Stadium. Judge, who has not played since clanging his big toe into the Dodger Stadium outfield wall on June 3rd while making a sensational lunging grab, was unwilling to offer a definitive timeline for a potential return, and described his toe injury as a "torn ligament" for the very first time.

Dressed in a sleeveless Jordan Brand hoodie with his personal logo on it, Judge addressed reporters Saturday with his usual calm and unflappable demeanor, but there’s no denying that beneath the $360 million smile, Judge is understandably frustrated with his current situation.

"I don’t think too many people here have torn a ligament in their toe," the Yankees captain said. "If it was a quad, we’d have a better answer. ... With how unique this injury is, and it being my back foot, which I push off of and run off of, it’s a tough spot."

As a right-handed swinger, Judge is incredibly reliant on his right toe, the pivot point in his rear foot, for transitioning his power and force from the ground forward towards the baseball. That the all-world slugger is still unable to walk, let alone run, without pain is a particularly bad sign for a team that ranks dead last in MLB in runs scored since Judge went out.

"If I could run, I’d be out there," Judge admitted. "We’d figure out hitting. But if I can’t move, that’s the main hurdle we have to get over."

There is some cruel fate to the most colossal individual on the sport’s biggest franchise being forced into inactivity by something as miniature as a toe. Judge carries the weight of the Yankees offense, and by proxy, the hopes of the entire organization, on his hulk-like shoulders. As he goes, they go.

So with both Judge and Yankees manager Aaron Boone unwilling or unable to offer anything resembling a recovery schedule, there is real reason for worry in the Bronx, even though the American League East's third-place Yanks (43-35) surprisingly just took a weekend series from the AL West-leading Rangers.

"The reality is, we're without [Judge] right now. We've got to find a way to get it done," the sixth year skipper said as he attempted to maintain a positive facade. "And again, we have the people in there to get it done. We've just got to do a better job right now of putting pressure on the opposing pitchers and defense."

A brief scan of the Yankees roster reveals that the Bronx Bombers likely do not "have the people in there to get it done." Besides Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres, every single preseason projected non-Judge Yankees starter has been a below league-average hitter this year. And if not for the inexplicably on-fire Billy McKinney (16-for-50 with 8 extra base hits, including 4 homers since June 4th) the Yankees’ offense would be even further upstream, even more paddleless.

'MLB on FOX' crew discuss Judge's injury and its repercussions on Yankees

Now, to be fair, what is Boone supposed to say? Our best offensive player, the guy we built the entire roster around, is injured for the foreseeable future. That means it’s extremely unlikely we win this division with an underwhelming group of declining veterans, unproven youngsters and journeymen grinders. Let’s pack it in and call it a day. See everybody in 2024.

That’s not how this works.

Projecting irrational positivity to the media is a fundamental part of Boone’s job, of any manager's job. He was given a roster — a flawed one, even before Judge’s injury — by general manager Brian Cashman and the Yankees front office. Boone's job is to make the best of that roster.

There is no way to determine how much blame for the offensive underperformance of fallen All-Stars like Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu and Josh Donaldson belongs to Boone, the players themselves, or the front office’s unwavering faith in that aging, injury-prone core.

That’s kind of a pointless conversation at this point. The only way forward, as Boone said in as many words, is to soldier on Judge-less into an uncertain future and hope that the scuffling supporting cast gets its act together.

Because there is no knight on horseback waiting in the wings to save the day (though Oswald Peraza and his .923 OPS in Triple-A deserve another look at an everyday big-league role). For better or worse, these are the 2023 Yankees: a borderline elite run-prevention unit with a kiddie-pool-shallow lineup built around an injured MVP. Not a forsaken team by any means — and the impending return of huge free-agent signing Carlos Rodón should help matters — but one that must beat the odds until Judge’s return.

Any type of rejuvenation from the Stanton/LeMahieu/Donaldson trio is vital to the Yankees’ enduring through the darkness without No. 99. That group will make a combined $67.5 million this year, and thus far they have produced a combined -0.3 bWAR. A boat, or a lineup, can only float for so long if it's built from old wood.

Don’t expect any drastic panic moves from management, either. This recent Cashman era of Yankees baseball has been defined by a firm commitment to staying the course during the regular season, to boo-hooing the worriers and plodding forward. Mostly, that’s worked, with Boone leading this club to five straight October appearances.

But this feels like a particularly dreary period. A potential reaping of what’s been sown.

And with the recent Judge injury update, there is no obvious light at the end of the tunnel. The Yankees better hope somebody brought a flashlight.

Jake Mintz, the louder half of @CespedesBBQ is a baseball writer for FOX Sports. He played college baseball, poorly at first, then very well, very briefly. Jake lives in New York City where he coaches Little League and rides his bike, sometimes at the same time. Follow him on Twitter at @Jake_Mintz.