Yankees general manager Brian Cashman wouldn't give a time frame on when Aaron Judge might be back during his appearance on WFAN with Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts Tuesday – only saying they expect him to return before the end of the regular season – but he did give a glimpse into the psyche of his star right fielder as it relates to his lingering calf injury.
"I remember when Aaron came out of the game where he first injured the calf, he thought he was fine, it just felt fine. I knew, though, that when he said it was tight, we had to get an MRI because he's as tough as they come," Cashman said. "He maintained this was just a few days and he could play with it, but we insisted we get an image, and that showed a Grade 1 strain. He exercised his right to have multiple opinions because he felt he was good, but our team physician told him it was a tricky injury that has a good chance of reoccurrence, and we have to make sure you're 100 percent."
It was "a little bit of an insight into a competitive athlete," as Boone put it, but as it turns out, the Yankees, and Dr. Christopher Ahmad, were right.
"That's how it played out – he felt good early in the process, went through all the protocols, and was very vocal that he was ready, but the second opinions came back and echoed what Dr. Ahmad said: a 10-14 day window if all goes perfect, and if you have a problem, you're going to have twice the time down," Cashman said. "Unfortunately, when we relaunched him, he was not able to hold up game one. It was a failed rehab – we have to call that, and that's a lane we find ourselves in, unfortunately."
Judge's injury is just one in a rash of them for the Yankees this year, and even though they're now down to six players on the I.L. (with two out for the season) after the activations of Zack Britton and Kyle Higashioka, it's been another season of "next man up" for the Bombers.
So much for the investment in a brand new strength and conditioning staff and facilities?
"Obviously our player care is important to us. We went to ownership and asked for more funding for new and expanded personnel and programs, which are clearly designed to limit injuries and be in the best position possible to provide care, but it's hard for this new crew that we added in January," Cashman said. "We had a limited spring training, a shortened summer camp, and a quick 60-game sprint, so I don't think they feel they're fully engulfed; they've built relationships and shared information, and you start conversations over time about adjustments, but it's frustrating nonetheless when we have injuries, because that prevents you from being what you want to be."
Within that, though, he noted that he's not necessarily concerned long-term about the health of Judge – who, depending on how long this injury keeps him out, will likely end 2020 having missed at least 30 percent of his team's games for three consecutive season – even as he went down the laundry list of maladies that Judge has had as a major-leaguer.
"I don't know in terms of long-term; one injury was not by design when he got hit by a pitch, him diving for a ball and breaking a bone, even soft tissue injuries – I don't think those things make him injury prone, per se," Cashman said. "Regardless of when injuries come or don't, he seems to put up full production, and when he's healthy, he's one of the game's best players."
That, however, is something the Yankees are working on figuring out how to maintain.
"Injuries are a part of the sport, especially in baseball with 162 games and a long season, but we have to find the key to unlock the secret to keeping him healthy."
Listen to Cashman's entire 34-minute call-in below, and check out more on-demand audio from Joe & Evan!
