Things are heating up in Yankeeland, and not in a good way. Since June 1, the Bronx Bombers have been playing what one can say is uninspired baseball. And of course, the frustrations are boiling over, and the fans are essentially restless. Because the postseason picture is becoming cloudy, and as if the situation couldn’t be more dire, the Aaron Judge mishap happened. The most important piece of the New York Yankee puzzle is now on the injured list. He suffered a right elbow flexor strain.

The fans can only thank the stars that it’s not as far as the Captain needing a Tommy John! Or not just this season, but even the season would be—sans Judge. For now, he is on a 10-day IL, but it’s not just the absence that stings; it’s the questions of how and when he will be back. And when he is back, in what role will he step in?

Manager Aaron Boone was on the Talkin’ Yanks podcast. Yes, the same podcast, where last week he went berserk defending the team and Volpe! He gave the latest update on Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

Aaron Boone at the Talkin’ Yanks podcast mentioned, “So, I think he’s going to start just hitting off the tee and some toss today or tomorrow. Okay. So, kind of that slow ramp up….So, I think he probably starts ramping up a little bit in the next day or two. It might even be today. I’m not sure. And that’s hitting only.” He mentioned that the New York Yankee captain has just gotten a PRP injection. Throwing, however, is a different timeline, and Boone said,“Like he’s we’re not throwing until 10 to 14. Yeah. So the throwing will be anywhere between that, probably 10 and 15 days, I would say. Um, just depending on you know the things they do with them, as far as, you know, where they measure symptoms.’

Aaron Judge didn’t even want to go to the IL, so it is clear that he is pushing for a return soon. And why not? He is at his peak and putting up numbers like no other—MVP numbers. He leads the league in batting average and OPS and remains top three in both home runs and RBIs. And even when he is in IL, he is still one behind Cal Raleigh when it comes to the race. However, the team is being cautious about his return. If he can’t throw, then the solution is to slide him into the DH spot. Simple, right? Not really.

That’s when Giancarlo Stanton enters the picture—maybe. Boone mentioned that Stanton has started taking light outfield drills, but it’s tentative for now. “So yesterday he got out there a little bit, just took some ground balls, and threw the ball from the outfield. Um, so he’ll—he’ll do that a little bit this coming week as, you know, we get to that point when probably Aaron’s ready to come back and potentially DH,” said Boone. He also didn’t commit to using Stanton in the outfield but mentioned that Giancarlo is eager to do it, at least occasionally. Meanwhile, all this is happening while there is a backdrop of roster reshuffling going on. Ryan McMahon is stepping in at third, and Amed Rosario is here too.

But without Aaron Judge, things are getting difficult.

What’s life without Aaron Judge for the New York Yankees?

World Series dreams are still alive in the Bronx, with new acquisitions. But there is no doubt, things have taken a back seat for sure. The main reason is Judge was sidelined when he was performing at his peak. With him in IL, the Yankees are in survival mode, and their defense has taken a major shot. There is still no doubt plenty of time left, 11 weeks till the regular season is done with. But it does feel like a race against the clock. The Yanks have dropped 12 of their last 20 games.

They are holding their second place in the AL East and are just a game ahead of their blood rival, the Boston Red Sox. And without their captain, it’s going to get real very soon. See Judge leads all of baseball in bWAR (6.7), hits (129), slugging (.711), OPS (1.160), and OPS+ (218). He’s tops in the AL in runs scored (90), RBIs (85), batting average (.342), walks (85), OBP (.449), and total bases (268). All that will be off the field for at least 10 days. So, what does the New York Yankees offense look like without Aaron Judge? It’s shaky.

The team without him is hitting just .239, with a .320 OBP, a .386 SLG, and an OPS of .706. Also, the collective OPS+ is a below-average 97. That’s not the number of a team that’s trying to contend, right? Even when it comes to power, the Yankees have hit 131 homers without Judge, slightly above the league average of 118.  For now, the silver lining is it’s not a season-ending injury, so fans are hoping Judge will return quickly and get things sorted.