Yankees News: Aaron Judge To The 15-Day DL

By Kenneth Teape | Jul 10, 2016

Mar 11, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) walks during the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

New York Yankees news was not good for top prospect Aaron Judge, as he was placed on the 15-day DL with a bruise and strained PCL in his left knee.

Recent New York Yankees news was not positive for top prospect Aaron Judge. The young outfielder was injured Friday while attempting a diving play in right field against the Rochester Red Wings, the affiliate for the Minnesota Twins.

Judge was not able to come away from the diving attempt unscathed, as he bruised his left knee and sprained his PCL in the process. As a result, Judge has been placed on the 15-day DL. There is not yet a timetable in place for Judge’s return, as the Yankees will undoubtedly take it slow with one of their prized young players.

Marc Feinsand of the New York Daily News reported the injury via his Twitter account.

Judge's MRI taken showed a mild PCL sprain and a bone bruise of the left knee. No baseball activities for an undetermined amount of time.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 10, 2016

Judge has been a productive power bat in the middle of the order for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailSplitters all season long. He has hit 16 home runs with 54 RBI thus far in the season, with a slash line of .261/.357/.469. The 16 home runs are tied for second in the International League with Chris Marrero and Adam Walker, while the 54 RBI are the most in the International League.

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Judge saw his batting average dip as low as .221 on the season, but he continued producing runs in the middle of the order. As a result, he was selected to participate in the Triple-A All-Star Game and Home Run Derby, but the injury will now take him out of both events.

With the Yankees moving closer and closer to becoming sellers, there were fans hoping to see Judge called up and playing with the major league team in the near future. Aaron Hicks has failed to make an impact despite numerous chances from Joe Girardi, with a slash line of .197/,261/.301. He has yet to steal a base despite having the speed and athleticism to do so, as he stole 13 bases in only 97 games with the Twins last season.

In addition to Hicks’ struggles, Carlos Beltran is someone that could have a new address in a couple of weeks, which would open up a spot on the 25-man roster and some playing time as well. If the Yankees are smart, that spot would go to Judge, as he is the future in the outfield for the Yankees and some experience this season would help.

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But, the Yankees must make sure they do not call-up Judge or take him off the DL before he is 100 percent healthy. Rushing him back for little more than just gaining some major league game experience could become more of a negative than positive, especially if it leads to reoccurring problems with the left knee.

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