TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge shared the same concerns as many of the team’s supporters during the offseason, watching anxiously as prominent free agents continued joining other organizations.
“It was brutal,” Judge remarked on Monday following the team’s initial complete roster practice session. “Early on it was pretty tough to watch. I’m like: Man, we’re the New York Yankees. Let’s go out there and get the right people.”
The team leader discussed various topics at length, including the absence of a championship trophy despite earning his third American League MVP honor, his performance against 22-year-old pitcher Carlos Lagrange during practice, his role leading Team USA in the forthcoming World Baseball Classic, and the elbow ailment that affected him last season.
Judge was sidelined for 10 contests from July 25 through August 5 due to a flexor strain in his right elbow, which occurred while making a defensive throw from right field during a game in Toronto on July 22. He remained away from outfield duties until September 5 and threw cautiously at just 67.9 mph. While Judge regained some arm power throughout the remainder of the campaign, he never reached complete recovery.
“I’ve never dealt with any elbow stuff, so I was definitely concerned,” he stated.
Judge remained uncertain about avoiding surgical intervention until after the playoff run concluded.
“They ran all the checks again and did all the tests and they said: ‘You’re good to go,’” he recalled. “And I said: All right, when can we start throwing? So it was good. It was great. It was great to hear those words so that now I can go into the offseason and just prepare the way I need to be in the best shape to start the year.”
His elbow has returned to complete strength.
“Throwing to bases a couple of times already, so no worries,” he explained. “Just excited to get back out there and just have the confidence, especially — that was the toughest thing for me last year, was the pitcher’s working his butt off and the guys around me were working their butt off and then the ball was hit to me and I had no shot.”
Judge, who will celebrate his 34th birthday in April, captured his third AL MVP award in four seasons, joining an exclusive group as only the fourth major league player to reach 50 home runs four separate times, alongside Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa. He claimed his first AL batting championship with a league-leading .331 average, along with 53 home runs, 114 RBIs, an AL-best 124 walks, and a major league-topping 1.144 OPS. During postseason play, he performed well with 13 hits in 36 at-bats, including one homer, seven RBIs, and a 1.273 OPS.
During Monday’s workout, Judge seemed to send a ball over the left field wall against a 99.3 mph pitch from Lagrange (pronounced La-GRAN-he), but later struck out against a 102.6 mph fastball from the 6-foot-7 right-handed pitcher, who finished last season at the Double-A level.
The Yankees, pursuing their first championship since 2009, secured center fielder Trent Grisham early in the offseason but delayed making significant additions until recently.
“Let’s sign these guys right now and start adding more pieces because I’m seeing other teams around the league get better,” Judge commented. “They’re making trades. They’re signing big prospects or big players. And we’re sitting there for a while kind of making smaller moves.”
When asked if he communicated his concerns to Yankees management, Judge displayed a wide smile and responded: “Yeah, oh, yeah.”
“It was frustrating, but I think we’re right where we need to be,” he concluded.
