Under The Knife 2/21/24

The Coalition Strikes Back

I was hoping to have a bigger piece here in the intro today, but sometimes things just don’t line up. Trust me, the wait will be worth it, so let’s get to the injuries:

AARON JUDGE, OF NYY (sprained toe)

“Toe requires constant maintenance.” That’s the headline on Aaron Judge, who missed a portion of last season after a freak injury to his big toe. If we ignore how it happened, which shouldn’t happen again, to him or anyone, and judge this as a simple turf toe issue, then recurrence shouldn’t be a major issue. A turf toe - and even Judge’s acute injury - are simple sprains. Judge didn’t need surgery, as was feared, but with rest and treatment, it shouldn’t be an issue. It’s good that Judge is taking it seriously, but “constant maintenance” overstates the case.

Maintenance? Well, yes. Obviously the Yankees will want to make sure that the toe doesn’t act up, but it shouldn’t. The sprain should be healed, though the suggestion that maintenance is necessary might indicate it’s not. None of my sources would speak in any detail, even off-record and Judge has a very, very small circle of trust.

One doctor I spoke with suggested that the issue might not be the sprain, but some sort of bone issue - a small spur or chip from an avulsion that could be in there causing some inflammation. Another PT suggested that big men and foot issues often go together. While I wouldn’t put even Judge’s size alongside Bill Walton or Yao Ming, he is unusually large for the game and the skill set necessary. Again, the acute injury and the lack of any other foot or ankle issues suggest this isn’t a chronic problem, but avoiding that with a bit of consistent maintenance is a good idea as well.

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