Injured Aaron Judge still weighing whether to go to All-Star Game
Aaron Judge won't play in the All-Star Game because of his toe injury, but he's thinking about attending the game anyway. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Aaron Judge clearly is honored that baseball fans voted him to be a starter in Tuesday’s All-Star Game. So even though he cannot play because of the torn ligament in his right big toe, he's still considering making the trip to Seattle.
“We're still debating over it — I’ll have an answer here in a couple of days,” Judge said on Saturday before the Yankees beat the Cubs, 6-3. “It is important to the fans, you know, getting voted in and getting a chance to represent the Yankees. It's a special honor. This is what the fans want to see: They want to see the guys they voted in and go to the game and participate and be there.
“So we're still debating.”
Judge hasn’t played since suffering the toe injury in a collision with the Dodger Stadium wall while making a spectacular catch on June 3 (the Yankees are 14-16 since then, 18-22 in his two stints on the injured list and 31-19 in all other games, including one win in which he did not play). He has been healing and rehabbing with daily treatment from the club’s medical staff.
Manager Aaron Boone suggested on Friday that Judge would not go to Seattle. “I think he's staying here to continue treatment and baseball stuff,” he said.
And while Judge said “you can kind of get treatment anywhere,” he added that more can be done by getting treatment at the Stadium during the break.
“[I’d] probably get more [treatment] here in New York, that’s for sure,” he said. “More here at the Stadium [and] getting my work done because that's the most important thing: trying to get back on the field.”
This is the fifth time that Judge has been selected as an All-Star. When asked if he gets something out of going to the event and getting together with the other players and fans, he replied, “Always.”
“It's one of the one things I always look forward to every year: getting a chance to kind of pick the brain of some other superstars around the game . . . ask them questions,” he said. “If it's a young rookie that's coming up, kind of ask him how his experience has been and what he's learned. If it’s an older veteran that might be [in] their last All-Star Game, you know, getting a chance just to get a little wisdom from him on their long career.
“So it's so many different facets of it that I enjoy,” he added, “but I get a chance to see those players. And getting a chance to put on a show for the fans is always the best part.”
Judge said there will be several things to consider, including whether the transcontinental flight would be taxing on his foot. In addition to speaking about the pros and cons with his wife, family and friends, he said he will “talk with other players that have been injured and either gone to the All-Star Game or not gone to the All-Star Game.”
“I’ve got a lot of things to weigh,'' he said, “and then I’ll probably have an answer soon.”
German to start Sunday
Sunday’s scheduled starter, Domingo German, was in the bullpen and available to pitch in relief against the Cubs on Saturday. Boone said that if the righthander was needed, Clarke Schmidt would pitch Sunday on standard rest. The move may have been insurance against having Gerrit Cole’s start cut short by a rain delay, but German wasn’t needed and will make the start on Sunday. Schmidt will be available out of the bullpen.
Sevy has work to do
After allowing seven runs and failing to get out of the third inning in Thursday’s loss to Baltimore, Luis Severino said he believes the All-Star break will be a chance to clear his head away from the game. Boone was asked about that and replied, “There’s work to be done there too.”
He added, “We’ve got to be able to strike that balance. [Severino] will be around and hopefully we’ll strike that balance on the break.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
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