Per usual, the Yankees are feeling confident about their World Series prospects for 2024 — although a recent injury update from Aaron Judge has the entire fanbase now fearing another injury-plagued 2024 campaign.
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During a media availability session on Tuesday, Yankees star outfielder and captain Aaron Judge told reporters that his right big toe will likely require, "constant maintenance" for not only this season, but for the rest of his career.
Aaron Judge said his toe will likely require "constant maintenance" the rest of his career, but it's been feeling good. #Yankees
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) February 20, 2024
Judge is referring to when he tore a ligament in his right big toe he suffered after bashing his foot into a concrete slab on Dodger Stadium's right field wall last summer — which caused him to miss 42 games, and contributed to the Yankees missing the playoffs last season.
While Judge's update is surely going to terrify the Yankees faithful, the slugger doesn't seem too concerned about his chronic toe issues right now.
"Anything with injuries like that, you've just got to stay on top of it so it doesn't flare up again or something doesn't happen again," Judge explained while speaking with reporters. "So we're feeling good right now. We're out there, we're moving, we're grooving. We're gonna try to keep it that way."
Strangely enough, Judge experiencing lingering toe issues was predicted by retired New York Giants running back Tiki Barber, who said last summer when discussing Judge's toe injury that, "When you start talking with surgery on the toe, its not gonna heal on its own or start to feel better...when the conversation turns to surgery on a toe, you worry."
Given that Barber dealt with toe injuries throughout his esteemed NFL career, his expertise and — and concern for Judge — is yet another reason for the Yankees to feel worried.
While there does seem to be real reason for concern, it is worth noting that Judge is confident enough to crack jokes about the toe.
"Well, I keep getting hurt in right field, so that's why I think they moved me to center field so I don't get hurt over there," Judge said to reporters on Tuesday. "I don't think there'll be any cement bottoms of walls in center field hopefully."
Perhaps Judge's injury concerns can be a laughing matter right now — but no Yankees fans will find it funny if their best hitter has to sit out this season due to more toe ailments.
