When Aaron Judge hits yet another homer, reflexively the house yells a catchphrase that should be patented by now. “All Rise,” they say in unison. But does that mean that on the occasions when Judge isn’t available to do what he does so brilliantly and so consistently, every last one of his key teammates has to do the opposite?
That is to say they all fall down.
Since Judge hurt his toe June 3 in Los Angeles, the Yankees have done almost nothing but stub theirs. Perusing the names in that lineup, it’s hard to understand, or believe. But it’s undeniably so.
Without their captain, the Yankees seem adrift in the Hudson. In the 17 days since he suffered the injury making a heroic catch to save a run — and potentially a game — the Yankees are the worst team in baseball at bat. That’s really saying something because the A’s and Royals remain in baseball.
Their 4-8 record without Judge really doesn’t come close to illuminating their recent ineptitude on offense. In the 12 games by themselves, they rank 30th of 30 teams in batting average at .195, 30th in on-base percentage at .255 and next to last in slugging percentage at .344 (thank you, Kansas City).
In Judge’s absence, the reigning MVP seems more valuable than ever. Judge was the probable front-runner when he went down, and would be today if Shohei Ohtani hadn’t taken over the sport.
The Yankees don’t love this storyline, but it’s better than the nagging-injury storyline (they are still without top-tier starter Carlos Rodon plus difference-making center fielder Harrison Bader) or the struggling rookie shortstop storyline (Anthony Volpe went 0-for-7 in the lost doubleheader Sunday in Boston, including five strikeouts).
Sorry, but it’s by far the more pressing narrative, especially since they have no clue still (or aren’t saying) when Judge is returning. The pitching remains mostly efficient, even far from full strength, and Volpe will come around, if not immediately, then at some point.
Judge’s loss is so debilitating that they may have to suggest to him to be more careful. He is the perfect team player who sacrifices his body, but it’s becoming clear this team just can’t live without him, whether it accepts this reality or not.
“There’s 30 teams right now that don’t have Aaron Judge on it. So I don’t think it’s any different for any other team,” Anthony Rizzo, Judge’s best friend on the team (that’s unofficial), told Yankees writers in Boston.
“He’s our captain. He’s our leader. It sucks, but one guy doesn’t make the biggest difference in the world,” Rizzo also said.
You’ll excuse Rizzo if he has better things to do and didn’t spend Monday poring over team stats. Here’s another: Their WRC-plus (which measures runs created, with league average being 100) is 64, which also ranks below the A’s and Royals, and everyone else.
I’ll give Rizzo a couple things: One, he is a great leader who says the perfect things (and surely believes them, too.) Two, it shouldn’t be this way.
The compilation of names even without Judge (and Bader) still seems very Yankees-like. Which means to say it’s quite an accomplished group. While the outfield is mostly makeshift without Judge (and Bader), there remain many names with ability and pedigree.
Giancarlo Stanton is a former MVP. But Stanton is 5-for-41 since he came off the injured list.
Josh Donaldson is yet another former MVP who isn’t far removed from a big season (he had a 127 OPS-plus the year before he got here for the Twins). But he’s 4-for-33 since coming off the IL and batting .151 overall.
DJ LeMahieu is a two-time batting champion, the only player in modern era to win the crown in each league (though you’ve got to like Luis Arraez’s chances to match him this year). But he’s 15-for-90 over 24 games.
Rizzo has received MVP votes five times. But he’s 4-for-48 since returning from a neck injury (though his OPS-plus is still 113). He’s actually third in the majors in “sweet spot percentage,” at 44.4, trailing only Freddie Freeman (47) and Corey Seager (46.6).
Rizzo has obviously hit in very bad luck. But there’s no doubt what the worst piece of fortune is, and that was Judge meeting up with that concrete base below the Dodger Stadium fence that’s left the Yankees tied for the sixth and final playoff spot heading into Monday in the tougher American League at 39-33 (with another powerhouse and their nemesis Houston Astros, who have also been hit by multiple devastating injuries).
Of course, the Yankees do have a chance to change the narrative they don’t like. But they’re going to need to prove it at this point.
“As a unit we’ve got to come together and rally — for us, for him, for everyone,” Rizzo said. “I know the narrative is: Without Judge this and that. But I don’t think that’s fair to put on him or anyone on this team.”
Fair or not, as Rizzo well knows, that’s life in the big city without the biggest and best player.
