Yankees' Aaron Judge addresses returning to site of 2023 toe injury

For the first time since he suffered a torn ligament in his big right toe in June 2023, New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge will find himself patrolling right field at Dodger Stadium.

The Yankees open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night in a 2024 World Series rematch.

On Wednesday, Judge spoke about what will be on his mind when he first examines the wall that changed the Yankees' season roughly two years ago. 

"I’ll try not to think about it," Judge said about his injury, as shared by Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "I’ve got a job to do on the field. I’m going to try to make every play I can. I don’t remember looking at what changes they made. Hopefully, it’s good changes. Nobody else has gotten hurt out there, so I’ll try not to think about it because if you try to play with fear, you’re not going to be your best." 

The 2023 Yankees improved to 35-25 on the same day that Judge crashed through the Dodger Stadium right-field fence while completing a highlight-reel catch. His foot slammed into the fence's concrete base that has since been covered by padding, but that alteration came far too late for the slugger.