AL Scout Takes Dig at Yankees’ Superstar For Being Injury Prone

An anonymous AL scout took a shot at the Yankees' MVP for his injury concerns.

Jun 18, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts after being hit by a pitch during the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge has certainly dealt with various injuries across his impressive MLB career, but this season he is healthy and trending towards another AL MVP Award.

Fox Sports tracked Judge dealing with a total of 10 different ailments since midway through the 2018 MLB season. And in 2023, Judge only played in 106 games due to hip and toe issues.

While Judge avoided a serious injury after being hit by a pitch in the left hand in last Tuesday’s 4-2 win against the Baltimore Orioles, one scout believes it’s only a matter of time before he gets hurt again. 

In Jon Heyman's New York Post article from June 23, an anonymous AL Scout said this of the Yankees’ lineup:

“The problem is when you take out your five- and six-hole hitters, you end up replacing them with down-in-the-order guys. So your new five- and six-hole hitters are [Gleyber] Torres and [DJ] LeMahieu and they both [are struggling] now. Their lineup looks like the top four can get it done and that’s it. And wait ’til Judge goes down,” the scout said.

This scout’s shot at Judge and the Yankee lineup comes after DH Giancarlo Stanton strained his left hamstring during Saturday’s game against the Miami Marlins, which will likely have him sidelined for at least four weeks. 

Stanton’s injury arrived six days after veteran first baseman Anthony Rizzo fractured his right forearm in New York’s 9-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on June 16. Rizzo is expected to miss at least two months of action.

These two injuries have noticeably depleted the Yankees’ lineup. If Judge were to also get hurt, New York might struggle to produce enough offense to maintain their current 1.5 game lead over the Orioles in the AL East. 

Luckily, Judge is both perfectly healthy and producing at an MVP-worthy rate.