Breaking Down New York Yankees’ 6’7″ Star Aaron Judge’s Turbulent Injury History

At the end of the 2021 season, and before 2022 began, Brian Cashman offered Aaron Judge a $230 million contract for eight years. But after various rounds of negotiations, the star outfielder turned down the contract, with reports stating that he expected a longer, and wealthier contract. But there were always doubts about offering Judge, who was running 30 at the time of negotiations, a longer contract, given his history with injuries.

Nevertheless, in 2022, Aaron Judge smashed 62 homers, broke Roger Maris’ record from 1961, and as a result, signed a whopping $360 million contract with the Yankees for nine years. And even appointed Judge as the Yankees’ leader.

But a little over a month into 2023, Judge was on the bench due to an injury, and looking back, the Yanks front office may have a few question marks about the $360 million contracts. Scroll further to read everything about the Yankees captain Aaron Judge’s past with injuries.

How often has Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge been injured in his career?

What injuries has Aaron Judge had in his career?

The towering 6 feet 7 inches tall Yankees outfielder is renowned for his remarkable slugging power, which has made him a fan favorite since his debut in 2016. However, Judge has also had his fair share of injuries throughout his career, with his most recent injury occurring in April when he suffered a hip injury.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 22: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees celebrates his solo home run in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium on April 22, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Prior to that, he suffered a lower-body injury on July 7th, 2022, and tested positive for COVID-19 in July 2021. Judge has also battled various other injuries, including back, side, and calf injuries, as well as a shoulder injury in 2019 and an oblique injury in 2019.

Aaron Judge suffered from a mild hip strain

While talking on the Twins in an away game in Minnesota, Aaron Judge hurt his wrist while sliding into third. However, that’s not the only part of the body he heard. The next day, when the Yankees took on the Texas Rangers in another away game, Judge had to leave the game midway due to discomfort in his right hip.

Read More: A Rare Slip-up From Aaron Judge May Have Just Hinted at New York Yankees’ Real Intentions Towards Shohei Ohtani

At the start, both Aaron Judge and skipper Aaron Boone claimed that the injury was not a big deal and that the outfielder will be back in no time. However, for a while. Judge was neither on the IL, nor was there any update on his return, and the Yanks slid to the bottom of the AL East.

Did Aaron Judge break his wrist?

Making his New York Yankees debut in 2016, Aaron Judge’s first big injury came in 2018, when Aaron Judge fractured his wrist in a rather freak accident. The Yanks had an extremely poor start to the season in 2018, just like this year. By July, the Pinstripes made some headway and closed in on the Red Sox.

But in a game against the Kansas City Royals, a fastball by Jakob Junis struck Judge’s wrist, which put him on the IL for two months. By the time Judge returned, it was too late, and even though the Yanks beat Oakland in the wild-card game, they lost 1-3 to their rivals, the Boston Red Sox in the Division Series.

Aaron Judge collapsed lung and rib issue

When Judge reported to spring training in 2020, he was experiencing ambiguous discomfort that was neither wrist nor oblique or shoulder. No diagnosis detected what the pain was, which didn’t help the cause.

Read More: “You Truly Can’t Hate Judge” – Sweet Gesture by Yankees Captain Aaron Judge at a Rangers Game Toward a Kid Is Melting Hearts

Eventually, the Yankees were able to identify the root cause of Judge’s condition: a cracked rib that was officially classified as a stress fracture, and a collapsed lung known as pneumothorax. The diving play he made against the Angels in September 2019 was likely responsible for these injuries.

The 2020 season got pushed due to the pandemic, and Judge ended up playing 28 games in the shortened season. If this diagnosis is accurate, it means that Judge played through extreme pain during the entire postseason of 2019.

Aaron Judge’s shoulder surgery

In 2017, Judge’s second season as a Yankee, he had announced himself by smashing 52 homers and leading the AL homer charts. But following the grand Home Run Derby, Judge went downhill. Notably, Judge iced his shoulder very often, despite nothing seemed wrong. But as the offseason eventually revealed, Judge had to undergo arthroscopic surgery to solve the problem after the 2017 postseason.

Watch This Story: Top 5 most electrifying home runs by New York Yankees star Aaron Judge

Even though Judge is back from the injury, does the Yankees management need to be worried the heath of their talisman? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!