How Aaron Judge's Injury Affects Yankees' AL East Pursuit

Even with a day off on Thursday, Judge may need to be kept out of the field for the upcoming weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Chase Field uses artificial turf as its playing surface. The Yankee captain reported leg discomfort after playing on Target Field's comparatively safer grass surface, so having him play on artificial turf could potentially create a much more serious leg injury.

It's suboptimal for the Yankees to have Judge slotted in as designated hitter, as that takes either Ben Rice or Luis Garcia Jr. out of the lineup. But the risk of having Judge playing on turf at less than 100% is too big, even if the Yankees are in the middle of a division race.

The Yankees may need to sacrifice the AL East for a healthy Aaron Judge

Even though the American League is projected to have a weaker playoff field this year, the Yankees have had little postseason success as a wild card, making it extremely important to win the division. However, losing Judge to another injury would negate all of the benefits that the No. 1 seed would bring.

As such, the Yankees are likely forced to prioritize Judge's health over chasing down the Rays in the standings. New York won seven of the nine games they played since Judge returned on September 8, but they still needed help from other teams to get closer to Tampa Bay. They didn't get it, as the Rays are now riding a six-game winning streak and have increased their division lead to five games after beating the lowly Athletics on Thursday.

The Rays do face a tougher schedule after the A's series, with all three of their remaining series coming against playoff teams (the Red Sox, Yankees, and Phillies).

On the other hand, the Yankees are playing an Arizona Diamondbacks team still fighting for a wild-card spot, so this weekend will not be an easy series by any means. Then they have the Rays series, which they effectively need to sweep to have any chance at the AL East title. Even if the Yankees sweep, they'd likely need to follow up with another sweep against the Baltimore Orioles, a team eager to play spoiler.

A lot would need to go right for the Yankees to accomplish this, including Judge being healthy. The difference is that if Judge gets hurt to the point where his availability is compromised, then the Yankees' season is likely over, let alone their hopes for the AL East. Given the offense's lack of punch without their captain, it's extremely hard to believe it could produce in the high stakes of October baseball.

In contrast to that doomsday scenario, the Yankees would have as good a chance as anybody in the postseason with a healthy Judge and their pitching staff. History wouldn't be on their side, and the Yankees would need to overcome the horrors of Tropicana Field in the process, but if Judge is in the lineup and fully dialed in, then nothing is impossible.

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