Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are injured once again. The New York Yankees homegrown slugger is turning into another version of their expensive import.
When Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are healthy, they provide the New York Yankees with two of the most dangerous hitters in the game today. A formidable 1-2 punch in the middle of the lineup, they have been a key part to the Yankees success when they have been on the diamond.
That last part is the caveat. Stanton has not exactly been the second coming of Lou Gehrig over the course of his career. He has appeared in at least 140 games just four times in his first decade in the majors, and missed all but 18 games in 2019 with a bicep injury.
Judge is heading down that same path as well. He burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2017, leading the American League in homers and runs scored en route to the Rookie of the Year and a second place finish in the MVP voting.
However, since that dazzling rookie season, Judge has not been able to remain healthy. He missed time in 2018 with a chip fracture in his wrist after being hit by a pitch, costing him approximately two months of the season. Then, in 2019, he suffered a significant oblique injury, costing him another two months.
This season, Judge had been back to the form he showed as a rookie. He was a monster at the plate, leading the AL in homers, RBI, runs, and slugging. Then, on Tuesday, Judge was removed from the game, with manager Aaron Boone claiming that he wanted to get him some time off of turf. As it turned out, he had a strained calf which led to his being placed on the Injured List on Friday.
Meanwhile, Judge is now in the middle of arbitration. He is earning a prorated $8.5 million this year, a number that figures to increase as the years go by. Like Stanton, he is worth every cent of his salary when he is on the diamond. But also like Stanton, it is getting to the point where one has to question how often he will be there.
Aaron Judge has become another Giancarlo Stanton in terms of production. He is also starting to turn into another Stanton in regards to his health concerns.