New York Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge is not expected to require offseason surgery on his right big toe, according to what manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Tuesday. Judge suffered a torn ligament in that toe as part of a collision with a Dodger Stadium wall back in early June. He required a nearly two-month stay on the injured list as part of the recovery process, but the door had been left open on him undergoing surgery this winter.
Judge, 31, entered Tuesday batting .266/.402/.605 (171 OPS+) with 35 home runs, 71 RBI, and three stolen bases in 102 games. His contributions have been worth an estimated 4.1 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference's calculations. It's worth noting that Judge's home-run pace prorates to 50-plus over a full season of games.
The Yankees and Judge agreed to a nine-year pact worth $360 million over the offseason. That came after Judge homered 62 times to set the new single-season record for both the Yankees franchise and the American League in 2022. He was also rewarded for his efforts with the AL Most Valuable Player Award.
Judge's absence was part of the reasons the Yankees slid down the standings. They came into Tuesday with a 79-77 record on the year, and they were eliminated from postseason contention over the weekend. It's to be seen how the rest of the season's final week plays out, but it does appear that the Yankees will be spared from their first last-place finish since 1990.
The Yankees will complete their season with a six-game road trip. They open up a three-game set in Toronto against the Blue Jays on Tuesday before then jetting to Kansas City for three games against the Royals.
