Just having Aaron Judge back in the lineup has lifted the Yankees’ spirits.
His presence means a world of difference.
The Yankees know it. Judge was batting second again Wednesday night and the Yankees were that much more dangerous, even though his at-bats Tuesday were his first since the last week of July because of a chip fracture in his right wrist.
Judge has been with the Yankees the entire time he has been injured, but when you are not playing you really can’t lead. Judge knows that better than anyone. He may be the most level-headed player ever to come to the Yankees.
“My biggest thing is to lead by example,’’ Judge told The Post before the Yankees played host to the Red Sox. “When I can’t play I can’t lead by example.’’
The Red Sox just needed to win to clinch the AL East. The Yankees came away with a 3-2 win on Tuesday, delaying Boston’s champagne party in Yankee Stadium.
Every victory is vital for the Yankees as they try to hold off the Athletics and avoid having to play that wild-card game at Oakland. Heading into Wednesday, the Yankees led the A’s by three games in the loss column, so Tuesday’s win was huge, especially after the A’s lost to the Angels later that night.
“It was tough being out,’’ Judge admitted to me, “but we have some real leaders in this clubhouse and Neil Walker has done a great job for us.’’
Judge said this is the Yankees’ time to shine.
“It’s time to get hot,’’ Judge said. “It’s time to flip the switch. You can’t wait until the postseason to flip the switch to really lock it in. You have to do it now. That’s what we actually talked about in the meeting [after a 3-1 loss at Minnesota last week].’’
Walker flipped the switch with his home run Tuesday night, but the Yankees need to keep the lights on all week, and especially in the matchup Wednesday night that featured Luis Severino versus David Price.
Make no mistake, manager Aaron Boone’s comfort level in his team grows the moment he writes Judge’s name in the second spot in the order.
“We’re writing one of the best players in the league into our lineup,’’ Boone said. “Not only does he go into an impactful position in our lineup, but it also means that another good player moves down in the lineup or to a different spot, so it creates depth in our lineup. It makes our bench a lot stronger.’’
All that is a positive, but there also is the psychological advantage of having Judge, the true leader of the Yankees, back in the lineup, Boone said: “From an intangible element he is just a special person, a special competitor that frankly in a lot of ways, [Tuesday] night him being in there you could feel it, you could feel it all night on the bench. He has that kind of presence. He is a special player and a special guy.’’
The Yankees need to ride the Judge wave right into the postseason and through October. Last year, they made it to the seventh game of the ALCS against the Astros before being knocked out. With the Red Sox playing so well this year and J.D. Martinez giving Boston the Judge element, the challenge is going to be that much more difficult this October.
The American League is loaded with strong playoff teams: The defending World Series champion Astros, the Indians, the 103-win Red Sox and the up-and-coming A’s, who could ruin the Yankees’ postseason with one victory.
The Yankees are going to need Judge more than ever, especially since Gary Sanchez has faded so poorly. The Baby Bomber who was so instrumental in the Yankees’ success last year went into Wednesday’s game batting .187 and continues to struggle mightily just catching the ball because his glove position is often in the wrong place.
Judge went into Wednesday batting .282 with 26 home runs, a .395 on-base percentage and a .543 slugging percentage, the best mark on the team. He can lead again.
