New York Yankees: 3 options who could be a boost in Aaron Judge injury absence

Aaron Judge revealed that his sprained toe actually has a torn ligament in there. So, there is still no timetable for his return to a weakened New York Yankees lineup. In the interim, the offense has come to a screeching halt, struggling to produce at a strong level. Stars other than Judge have struggled either with injury or ineffectiveness.

While the New York Yankees attempt to weather the Aaron Judge injury storm, some upgrades are needed at certain positions.

Josh Donaldson has long drawn the ire of the fanbase, and now for good reason. In 64 at-bats this season, Donaldson has managed a brutal .125/.197/.406 slash line, good for a -0.1 bWAR. Despite hitting six home runs, there is simply not enough production to excuse Donaldson’s shortcomings. His 28.2 percent strikeout rate is comfortably above the MLB average, and would be a career high across a full season for Donaldson. Last season, Donaldson’s offensive production was down a bit, but his glove at third base was enough to make up for poor offense. Donaldson checked in at six outs above average in 2022, according to Baseball Savant, but has not found the same defensive value in 2023. The lowlight so far would be the embarrassing double error play he kicked off in a 10-2 loss against Seattle on Thursday night.

Where could the upgrades come? There are veterans on expiring contracts playing for bad teams. What the New York Yankees are willing to part with will ultimately determine the quality of player they receive. Jeimer Candelario, who plays for the Washington Nationals, has already registered a 2.4 bWAR, and would provide a righty-heavy lineup with some versatility. There is cause for pause with Candelario, however, as this is his best season yet, but the underlying metrics are not great. Candelario does not strike out a bunch, although he does not hit the ball particularly hard. Still, he has feasted on fastballs to the tune of a .317 batting average with 16 doubles and four home runs. It is likely that Candelario would cost at least one of the Yankees’ top 20 prospects.

Brian Anderson was off to a red-hot start for the Milwaukee Brewers before cooling off, but is a veteran bat with defensive versatility and a solid track record. Anderson has been slightly above-average for his career. After being non-tendered by Miami in the offseason, Anderson has run a career-best walk rate while hitting nine home runs, his most since 2020. Anderson would likely cost less than Candelario, but Milwaukee is currently in the thick of playoff contention. In addition to his stellar infield defense, Anderson has spent a lot of time in right field, where his arm ranks towards the top of Baseball Savant’s leaderboard.

Could the upgrade come from within? Oswald Peraza is on the 40-man roster, and has raked in Triple-A, with a .923 OPS to go with 11 home runs and 11 stolen bases. Peraza is currently dealing with an undisclosed injury, so the timeline may be delayed a bit. Still, Peraza is a prospect the organization seems to hold in high regard, and owns a .714 OPS with four stolen bases in limited big league time.