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At the end of this trip, Aaron Judge will be back on the road with the Yankees, as he has done for every trip the team has made since suffering a tense dive on April 20th.
It started just a day after Judge was diagnosed – which meant he would be away for months and not weeks – when he joined the team on a trip on the west coast that had started in Anaheim, California.
He continued throughout his recovery, and the Yankees hope that it ends as soon as possible. The judge played wrestling and took part in the field event and again exercises before Friday's game against the Red Sox in the Bronx.
The judge said he had the opportunity to stay after the injury and could have focused on his rehab in New York, but that was not an option for the good defensive player.
"They mentioned it and some people have suggested it," said the judge. "I knew I had to be on the road. I knew we were playing well, but I had to be there. That was my decision. Guys should travel, if they can. They are part of the team. "
It was good news for Aaron Boone who, although disappointed at not being able to write the name of the slugger every day in the training, wanted to see Judge.
"First of all, we wanted to do what was best for him, but I really wanted him to be part of it," said Boone. "We wanted him to do what he thought he wanted to do, but I still want him as much as possible."
The judge's choice is not always left to the player.
"The reason we gave him the choice was a bit because of his identity," said Boone. "Often, the nature of the injury comes into play, depending on whether they can work or not."
The judge said the stadium facilities that the Yankees had visited since he was on the wounded list had allowed him to do what he had to do. At home, he tries to take tight turns before starting to hit the cage.
"He's giving up a bit," said Boone. "Swinging will obviously be the biggest test and it will get there."
Even though the Yankees continued to flourish in the absence of the judge – as well as the absence of Giancarlo Stanton, Didi Gregorius, Luis Severino and so many others -, his presence took an impact.
"It's great to have it at the clubhouse," said Brett Gardner. "I think the first days [after the injury]it took him a while to realize the situation. But since then, he is the same man he is still. "
Cameron Maybin did not play a match with Judge as a team mate. It was the judge's injury that helped the Yankees lead – desperate for outside help without the judge, Stanton and Aaron Hicks in the first month of the season – to trade against Maybin, who was at the time with Triple-A subsidiary of Cleveland.
Nevertheless, since Maybin's arrival on April 26, the 13-year-old veteran witnessed the impact of the judge's decision.
"It's a big part of what's going on, even if it's not doing what it normally does," said Maybin. "His leadership abilities are really impressive. He is always very vocal and plays a decisive role in the energy we bring each day. It never allows the locker room to feel complacent or happy. He wants us to go out and prove that everyone is wrong. This can be extremely difficult to do when you are not playing, no matter how good you are. "
"I feel like it's part of my job, to keep everyone's trust," Judge said. "I do not do anything more. I am just myself, as if I were active. We must keep the same state of mind and remain motivated because the other teams will not reverse. "
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