New York Yankees Aaron Judge’s return is expected to be delayed for a considerable period of time.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on the 17th (KST), “He had a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection yesterday. “There is still some soreness in the ligament, but he felt much better today. I won’t be able to make any baseball-related movements for the next 48 hours. But I’m in good shape.”

PRP injections are given to promote tissue repair in injured ligaments, muscles, and tendons. This is Jersey’s second PRP injection since his injury.

He injured the big toe on his right foot when he slammed into the fence netting after catching a fly ball from J.D. Martinez on April 4 at Dodger Stadium. A medical examination revealed ligament damage and he was placed on the 10-day disabled list (IL) the next day. It was his second trip to the IL this season, following a hip injury in late April.메이저놀이터

Initially, it was expected that he would be able to return after a few days of rest once the swelling subsided, but his condition has not improved and his rehabilitation has been prolonged.

“The goal is to be back before the All-Star break, but I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Boone said. I could be back in a week, or I could be back in four weeks,” he said. “I can’t say when I’ll be back until I start doing baseball-related movements. I’m hoping the PRP injections will speed up my recovery.”

When asked if surgery might be necessary, Boone said, “I don’t know, but I don’t think so. “I don’t know, but I don’t think so. I know that ligaments like Jersey’s heal over time. If it’s a torn or stretched ligament, it definitely needs time. The PRP injections are meant to shorten that time, and he’s looking at it positively.”

“Once you can walk, you start rehabilitation. Rehabilitation allows you to do basic, light exercises, and then you move on to the next level. Hopefully, he’ll be able to start doing that in the next couple days.”

ESPN reporter Buster Olney told a radio show on April 16: “He’s a big guy, 6’7″ (2m1), 282 pounds (127kg), and he injured the thumb on his right foot. The thumb of your right foot is your axis when you swing, so you have to put a lot of pressure on your toes, and if you can’t do that, you can’t force it back. If he can do that before the All-Star break, the Yankees would be very fortunate.”

As Olney explains, as a right-handed hitter swings, the center of gravity shifts from the axial right foot to the stepping left foot. The thumb of the right foot is the center of gravity, so if there’s any pain, it’s impossible to hit normally. This means that a return to the first half of the season could be difficult.

In 49 games prior to his injury, Judge batted .291 (51-for-175) with 19 home runs, 40 RBI, 42 runs scored, and a 1.078 OPS. He lost the home run race to the Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, and disappeared from the leaderboards in on-base percentage, OPS, and more due to a lack of plate appearances.

The Yankees remain in third place in the AL East with a 39-30 record, but have been unable to rebound. They’re 4-5 since Judge’s departure. Judge signed a nine-year, $360 million free agent contract last winter and declared himself a Yankee for life.