Aaron Judge is officially headed to the IL after the Yankees got the results back from tests on the slugger’s toe, revealing a contusion and a sprain of the ligament.
The Yanks could be without Judge for weeks, and Sal says the pressure is now on Giancarlo Stanton to carry the offense until his fellow basher can return.
“It’s just a totally different team without Judge and Harrison Bader,” Sal said. “They might be able to survive without one of the two, but those are the two most important players in that lineup. You can’t survive without them.
“They need Giancarlo Stanton to get hot and carry this team. That’s imperative now. You look at that lineup, Giancarlo Stanton has to be the guy…doesn’t have to be Judge-like, but go on one of his tears that can carry this team for a couple weeks, then you get Judge back healthy, and everything is good from there.”
Stanton has done that before, carrying the Yankee offense back in 2018 while Judge was nursing a fractured wrist after being hit by a pitch. he had a rough 0-for-4 night on Tuesday with Judge out of action, but Stanton still holds a solid .844 OPS on the season, hit a home run in his first game back from the IL on Friday, and is more than capable of carrying the offense for periods of time.
Sal says that has to be now, and Stanton has to lead a Bombers group that just cannot get everyone healthy at the same time.
“This Yankee team,” Sal said. “Once you get guys back, you lose a couple more.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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