NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 04: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees throws on the field during summer workouts at Yankee Stadium on July 04, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
New York Yankees star Aaron Judge calmed his nervous fans with tremendous return to lineup.
Nothing gets New York Yankees fans more riled up than the health of star outfielder Aaron Judge.
After reporting to summer camp fully recovered from a stress fracture in his right rib, Judge sent the Yankee faithful into full-blown panic mode after he sat out of practice earlier this week with a stiff neck.
Judge missed three consecutive intrasquad games due to the sore neck, but the face of the franchise returned in grand fashion on Wednesday. In his very first at-bat against starting pitcher James Paxton, Judge hit a home run to dead center field on the second pitch he saw.
Aaron Judge is just fine for Yankees
Prior to Wednesday’s exhibition game, Judge took it easy by catching fly balls in the outfield and taking some hacks in batting practice. The Bronx Bomber woke up this past Saturday morning with the stiff neck, and the team sat him out as a safety precaution.
After the intrasquad game, Judge did admit that his neck isn’t 100 percent recovered, but stressed that he experienced “no issues.” His goal is to be ready for Opening Day on July 23 against the Washington Nationals.
“These games really don’t matter right now. It’s about getting ready for Opening Day,” said Judge, via ESPN. “If I didn’t play a single spring training game, but I’m ready to play for Opening Day, I’m going be excited about that.”
Given the nature of the shortened 60-game MLB season, Judge was taking it easy to ensure he didn’t miss any time by aggravating his neck issue. The Yankees are heavily favored to represent the American League in this year’s World Series, and Judge wants to be a part of the ride.
And for those Yankee fans who panicked about Judge’s health this past weekend, you can finally calm down.
