Up to last Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Twins, neither Juan Soto nor Aaron Judge had missed a game for the Yankees this season.
Soto, who has been the perfect left-handed complement to Judge in the middle of the Yankees’ lineup all season, missed three games in a row due to a forearm issue. By the end of a weekend series against the Dodgers, he had made enough improvement to swing a bat, but he had never left the bench. New York dropped two of three games in the unusual interleague series versus Los Angeles.
What is good news for the Yankees? Soto returns to the starting lineup Monday against the Kansas City Royals.
What about the negative news? Judge is no longer in office.
The Yankees’ lineup for the series opener against the Royals will be the first this season without the newly crowned AL Player of the Week. Judge batted.500 last week (10-for-20) and hit three home runs, bringing his league-leading total to 24.
According to Jack Curry of the YES Network, Judge’s absence is not cause for concern.
Judge had started all 67 games for the Yankees this season, more than any other player up to that time. The availability of Judge, the 2022 American League MVP, was critical to the Bronx Bombers’ best-in-MLB 46-21 record after missing the playoffs entirely last year.
The biggest news is Soto’s comeback. Forearm injuries can be serious if they cause structural damage, particularly to the elbow joint. Soto had been a remarkably healthy and productive member of the Yankees’ lineup, batting.318 with a.424 on-base percentage and a.603 slugging percentage across 64 games. His 1.027 OPS is second in baseball, behind Judge.
Soto departed Thursday night’s Yankees game against the Minnesota Twins in the top of the sixth inning due to left forearm discomfort, according to the team.
Boone subsequently talked with reporters, saying Soto was evacuated for precautionary reasons but has been dealing with the problem for about a week.
The Yankees have yet to formally submit their lineup. For the first time this season, the No.3 hitter will be someone other than Aaron Judge.
Seth Lugo (9-1, 2.13 ERA) will start for the Royals.
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