PANIC TIME: IS AARON JUDGE INJURED?

Source: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images North America

Something is up in Yankee land....I'm just not sure what yet. We all know Aaron Judge has struggled A LOT since the All-Star break. Rumors are swirling on social media and some Yankee fans blame Judge's struggles on the Home Run Derby. I'm not so sure I buy the last theory but even if the derby is partially to blame for this it would be nice to just know if this is just a slump or is it something more serious so we can deal with it appropriately. Is it just a slump or is Judge injured?

I hate to think the worst here. The Yankees once again have been screwed by the injury bug this year. It would be nice to have a break from this damn injury bug curse that has been hovering for the last few years. Injuries happen but this is just a long pattern now. Think about it, our first base curse (here's looking at you Mark Teixeira and Greg Bird) has turned into a team epidemic.

Source: David Maxwell/Getty Images North America

The last thing we need to hear is that Aaron Judge is hurt. I have been brushing off the recent rumors on social media but watching post-game interviews from both Saturday and Sunday suddenly have me wondering. If you look at videos HERE and HERE, Judge has his left shoulder iced in both videos. Apparently, the ice wrapped shoulder has been consistent recently and since he is a right-handed hitter, the left shoulder is his front shoulder when hitting and that is his power source. So couldn't a bad shoulder be a possible contributor to a slumping hitter? Sounds possible to me.

Now I have heard that Judge uses ice a lot for conditioning. At the beginning of the season I was reading online that Judge sits in ice baths regularly as part of his fitness routine. I know a lot of athletes who do that, so ordinarily the iced shoulder might not bother me too much....but not in this case.

Photo: Getty Images

On Sunday, a reporter asked him how and when he hurt his shoulder. Judge responded with a little chuckle and answered with "it's not affecting me at all."

OK Judge....I WANT to believe that. Ball players are all banged up and battling through stiffness or soreness at this point in the season but the answer was very short and it really wasn't even an answer a all. The iced shoulder and declining numbers suggest there is more to the story. Doesn't it feel like we are missing information here?

I'm working on nothing but a hunch here. I have no facts or figures to back this up but something just isn't right here. Reinforcements are on their way. Soon Starlin Castro, Matt Holliday and Bird will be back. Maybe it's a good idea to give Judge a rest one we get some other guys back. Even if this is a minor or nagging injury why not sit him out a few days and regroup rather than risk a more serious injury?

Photo: Getty Images

It's been a long season. Judge has been struggling, he's played in a lot of games and he's dealing with some sort of shoulder injury. I think it's time to grant Judge a recess here. It's in his best interest and ours. Let's hope this really isn't a serious injury.

--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor 
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ