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Aaron Judge 'As Healthy as He's Been' During Yankees Career, Per Aaron Boone
February 17, 2019
New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge is heading into the 2019 season with a clean bill of health.
"He's as healthy as he's been probably since he's been in the big leagues," manager Aaron Boone said Sunday, according to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com.
Judge, 26, has dealt with his share of injuries throughout his career. Last offseason, he underwent shoulder surgery and was still recovering in spring training. Last July, he fractured his right wrist and missed two months.
This year, however, Judge is ready to go.
"He's so much further ahead of the game from where he was last year," Boone said. "A lot of his winter [last year] was poured into the rehab of the shoulder."
He continued:
"This year, it's been about having a normal offseason, getting his body into excellent position. When you talk to him, I think he's really excited of where his shoulder is at right now, certainly compared to this time last year. The maintenance he's had to do on it really the last couple of years, feels like, in a lot of ways, he's through that."
A healthy Judge is a dangerous prospect for the rest of the American League. Over the past two seasons, he's blasted 79 homers and 181 RBI in 267 games, solidifying himself as one of the best power hitters in baseball. If he plays a full slate of games and maintains his past production, he'll be an MVP candidate.
Plus, the one-two punch of Stanton and Giancarlo Stanton has given the Yankees not only one of the most dangerous power duos in baseball but one of the best lineups.
If Stanton can remain healthy, the Yankees will remain one of the favorites in the American League, and the early returns on that front are all positive.