Aaron Judge didn’t sound thrilled.
Before Tuesday’s Yankees game, the superstar was asked about comments that manager Aaron Boone made about his right elbow.
This is what Boone said:
“We’re trying to get through where he can let it go with ease and be able to protect himself. I don’t think we’re going to see him back to throwing like he normally does at any point this year, but that’s OK, too. We’ve got to feel like he can go out there and be able to protect himself and represent himself.”
Judge didn’t appreciate the insinuation that his elbow, which has had a flexor strain, won’t be its normal self the rest of the year.
This is what Judge told reporters later on Tuesday after learning of Boone’s comments:
“He hasn’t seen me throw the past two weeks. I’m pretty confident I’ll get back to that.”
Judge answered “I don’t know” when asked why Boone may have said what he said.
That’s not exactly the kind of unified front you want to see.
Judge has played 11 games since returning on Aug. 5, all as a designated hitter. He’s batting .229 in that span with a double, two home runs and six RBI.
With Judge at DH, the Yankees have given Giancarlo Stanton a few games in right field. That’s not ideal, either, given Stanton’s limited mobility and the fact that he himself missed time early in the season with elbow problems.
But the least ideal thing is that Judge and Boone don’t seem on the same page. The Yankees’ manager should probably make sure not to tick off his best player.
It’s not a great strategy.
