Aaron Judge Still Unsure What Led to Dizziness
Aaron Judge proved he's healthy on Monday, delivering a game-tying three-run home run in the eighth inning in a comeback victory over the Twins.
As he stopped by the Yankees' Zoom room after the game, however, questions remained regarding his early exit from Sunday night's game against the Mets.
The Yankees' slugger was taken out in the third inning after feeling dizziness during his first at-bat. While Judge was obviously good enough to play on Monday, the right fielder admitted that he's still not feeling perfect after the sudden, inexplicable discomfort.
"I feel better today. Not 100 percent, but I'm not too concerned about it. It just kind of came out of nowhere," Judge explained.
Judge compared the feeling at the plate on Sunday to getting his "bell rung" back when he used to play football when he was younger. As much as he begged and pleaded with the coaches and training staff to try and play through it, they made the smart decision to tend to things before they could get worse.
Interestingly enough, Judge and the Yankees are still unsure exactly what happened.
"Hydration was fine. We checked all that, all the vitals, everything was good. So we really don't know what it is," Judge added. "I'm just thankful to be feeling better today and hopefully a little better tomorrow."
Judge has been durable practically all season long for the Yankees, playing more games than all but one of his teammates (DJ LeMahieu). The only time the slugger was sidelined for more than a day or two was when he tested positive for COVID-19 in July, missing nine games while working back from the virus.
New York certainly can't afford to lose Judge for any time down the stretch. Monday's late home run was the perfect example of just how important the slugger is to this team, a club trying to battle through a roller-coaster season and stay in the postseason race.
Don't be surprised if the Yankees give Judge a day off over the next few days, though. Boone made it clear on both Sunday night and Monday morning that they're being cautious with Judge, checking in with him periodically to ensure he's good to go.
Boone also has a track record for giving his players days off when they are working through even the most minor injuries. That's often the best way to prevent situations from escalating.
If Judge plays each game the rest of the way and continues to perform as well as he has all season, this mysterious injury scare can be put to bed. Until then, it's certainly something to keep an eye on.
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