Three-time MVP Aaron Judge exited the Yankees' game against the Twins early on Wednesday afternoon with what the team later called right lower leg tightness. Judge had gone 0 for 2 with two strikeouts and was then replaced with Heliot Ramos in the lineup.
Judge missed all of June, July and August with a rib injury before returning to the Yankees' lineup without a minor-league rehab assignment on Sept. 8. He hit his first home run since the return on Monday night, a prodigious shot to the upper deck down the left-field line, but then sat out on Tuesday and left Wednesday's game early.
The Yankees are playoff-bound, but any injury to Judge would be a significant blow to their chances of stealing the AL East from the Rays, let alone making a deep playoff run.
So far this season, in 66 games, Judge is hitting .241/.360/.511 with 18 home runs and 41 RBI. He won the last two American League MVPs and had taken three of the previous four.
The Yankees entered Wednesday trailing the Rays in the divisionby four games. The AL East winner is ticketed for the No. 1 AL seed and a bye, while the second-place team will likely end up as the four seed playing a Wild Card Series.
Bigger picture here, though, is that the Yankees need a fully functional Judge in order to be a dangerous playoff team.
