Aaron Judge Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Expected to Be Ready for Spring Training

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder Monday that included "loose-body removal and cartilage cleanup," the team announced Tuesday.

He is expected to recover in time for spring training.

Judge, 25, put together a brilliant rookie season, bashing an American League-best 52 homers with 114 RBI and a .284 batting average. He earned All-Star honors along the way and won Rookie of the Year and Silver Slugger awards after the season.

He was so good that on May 1, then-New York manager Joe Girardi compared him to Yankees great Derek Jeter, per Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com:

"He is a little bit like Derek for me. He has a smile all the time. He loves to play the game. You always think he is going to do the right thing on the field and off the field. He has a presence about him. He plays the game to win all the time, and that is the most important thing. It is not about what you did that day."

"I understand that is a big comparison, but I remember Derek when he was young. He grew into that leadership role, but that was Derek. Derek loved to have fun, loved to laugh and loved to play the game."

That attitude, paired with his production, made him an incredibly important player for the Yankees and helped fuel the team's run to the American League Championship Series. He became a staple in the middle of the order, joining Starlin Castro, Brett Gardner, Matt Holliday, Didi Gregorius and Gary Sanchez to form a dangerous lineup.

With Judge, the Yankees are likely a perennial postseason fixture. Without him, it's harder to imagine them as a consistent contender.