One bright spot in lost Yankees' season? Aaron Judge probably won't need surgery on toe

TORONTO – Things deteriorated rapidly during the Yankees’ second half, but at least Aaron Judge’s comeback from a toe injury was generally a success.

“I think he’s in a pretty good spot heading into winter,’’ said manager Aaron Boone on Tuesday, adding that offseason surgery has not been discussed.

“My understanding is no,’’ said Boone about the prospect of Judge having any winter procedure on his right big toe. “I’ve kind of felt that way for a while.’’

Judge suffered a torn ligament on June 3, smashing his right foot into the concrete base of the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium while making a sensational catch.

That game-saving grab ultimately cost the reigning AL MVP some 42 team games, and the Yankees couldn’t compensate for the loss of their slugging captain.

There’s a “relief that it’s gone probably as well as it has since he’s come back,’’ Boone said of Judge’s return in late July.

Aaron Judge rested from Tuesday's lineup at Toronto

Alternating between designated hitter and right field, Judge has managed his comeback from injury without being 100 percent healed.

“There’s been a steady improvement all the time, which has been encouraging,’’ Boone said of Judge’s movement on the bases and in the outfield.

“He takes a lot of pride in his ability to post,’’ a point Judge emphasized Sunday, saying he would not be shutting it down during the final week of the regular season despite the Yanks’ playoff elimination.

Still, Tuesday night’s lineup was posted without Judge.

Both Judge and rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe were rested in the series opener against the wild card contending Blue Jays.

Judge’s absence was a particular relief for a Toronto club that held a 1.5-game lead on the second AL wild card with six games remaining.

“I wanted to get him a day at some point,’’ Boone said of Judge, citing his recent workload and the artificial surface at Rogers Centre as other factors.

“Just felt like today was a good day.’’

Managing Aaron Judge's playing time over the season's final week

Judge’s absence from Tuesday’s lineup didn’t translate into good news for the handful of teams competing with Toronto for a wild card spot.

On Monday, Judge was named as the AL’s Player of the Week for batting .529 (9-for-17, four walks) and slamming three home runs in one game for the second time this year.

Judge is a career .290 hitter against Toronto’s Kevin Gausman, Tuesday’s starter, with three homers in 31 at-bats.

Plus, Judge has been the Yanks’ most productive hitter against Jays’ pitching this year, batting .306 (11-for-36) with four homers and eight RBI.

“I expect him back in there (Wednesday),’’ said Boone, non-committal about Judge’s playing time in Thursday’s series finale or the final three games at Kansas City, against the last place Royals.

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With or without Judge, the Yankees’ goal is to make the Blue Jays’ path to an AL wild card berth a little tougher.

“We want to win. We respect the season,’’ Boone said. "The Blue Jays are right there in the playoff mix and we want to put our best foot forward and be as competitive as possible.

“Even though we’re out of it now, we have a lot to play for and a lot to prove this final week of the season, and I feel like guys are of that mindset.’’

Structuring the Yankees' plan for 2024

A few days ago, Judge expressed his desire about continuing to play through Game 162, providing a positive example to the Yankees' youngsters.

“Missing all the games I did, that didn’t help,’’ said Judge, adding his injury absence to the list of what went wrong in 2023. “I’m supposed to the guy in the middle of the lineup that’s helping us produce every single night.’’

That said, Judge plans to be an active part of the solution by making suggestions to GM Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner as an early winter arrives in the Bronx.

“I’ve got some ideas,’’ said Judge, though “it’s going to take all of us’’ in the organization, “from the minor league stuff all the way to the top.’’

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Aaron Judge injury: Yankees say toe surgery is unlikely