Judge's calf strain carries re-injury risk as playoff return remains uncertain
The short version
- Aaron Judge is on the IL with a right soleus strain, suffered last Wednesday in Minnesota.
- He is eligible to return for game 162 on Sunday; a surgeon put a best-case return at three weeks, or Oct. 7.
- Studies show up to a 50% re-injury rate for calf and hamstring muscle strains.
- The Yankees trail the Rays by six games with seven to play; Tampa Bay needs one win to clinch the AL East.
A sports surgeon outlines the timeline and danger facing the Yankees star as New York weighs a possible Wild Card Series comeback.
New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge returned to the injured list with a right calf strain, this time in the soleus muscle, less than two weeks after coming back from a fractured rib that kept him out for 88 games. He was hurt during a game in Minnesota last Wednesday. Judge is eligible for activation on Sunday for game 162, the final day of the regular season.
Neither the team nor Judge has specified the severity of the strain. Manager Aaron Boone said in Phoenix that the grade does not change the goal of getting him back. Judge told reporters he intends to be ready for the playoffs.
Dr. Spencer Stein, a sports orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone Health, told NJ.com that a mild Grade 1 strain could allow Judge to resume baseball activity in two weeks and return to games in three weeks, which would fall on Oct. 7. He cautioned that this would be the fastest realistic outcome.
Re-injury is a significant concern. Stein cited research showing re-injury rates as high as 50 percent for muscle injuries of this type. Teammate Giancaranton Stanton, out since April with a Grade 1 calf strain, suffered setbacks in June and August and has not played since.
The soleus location adds difficulty because the muscle is a push-off muscle connected to the Achilles tendon and bears heavy force during batting. Stein said Judge would be safer as a designated hitter, though the Yankees have Ben Rice entrenched at DH, meaning Judge would likely need to play right field if he returns.
