Forget Aaron Judge being shut down to rest his sprained big right toe with the Yankees all but dead in the playoff race.
He proved to be a one-man wrecking crew on Wednesday, when he erupted for the first three-homer game of his career on Wednesday against the Nationals.
He homered in the first, second and seventh inning, with The Bronx crowd chanting “MVP” after his third blast of the night.
“I don’t play this game to hit homers,” Judge said after the Yankees’ 9-1 win over the Nationals at the Stadium. “I play the game to put us in position to win ballgames.”
Before the game, the team said there was no talk of getting Judge off his feet as he plays through the toe injury that’s plagued him since he crashed into the Dodger Stadium fence making a catch on June 3.
Judge said Tuesday he expects to keep playing and general manager Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone added Wednesday that they’ve been encouraged by how Judge has felt — and played — since returning from the injury.
“He came back when he didn’t have to and was still compromised,’’ Cashman said. “He’s still playing through it, but it’s going well. If we’re in a position where we feel he’s in jeopardy [of further injury], we’ll have that conversation. Forgetting our playoff situation, if it’s a risky situation, we’ll have that conversation.”
Aaron Judge belts a grand slam for the second of his three homers in the Yankees’ game against the Nationals. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
Aaron Judge celebrates with teammates after belting a grand slam during the second inning of the Yankees-Nationals game. Jason Szenes for the New York PostJudge has been one of the few bright spots in the offense.
“I think he’s doing well,’’ Boone said. “He continues to improve from when he first came back to now. I think he’s in a better place and is pretty much playing every day.”
Boone noted that it’s “something we’ll continue to watch closely.”
