Yankees: Aaron Judge can’t find words to describe offensive struggles

Much-maligned New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is doing all he can to help get a teetering offense on the right path in the Bronx.

Judge leads the team in batting average with RISP (.308), and was robbed of an RBI by a weird hold at third in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s win (luckily, it all worked out). He’s been largely available, missing only two of the team’s 17 games thus far with side soreness (also clearly a smart decision, as ruthless as some fans were).

Ask him to sum up what’s going on with the offense as a whole, though, and that’s where he struggles.

He’s just as confounded by this apparent team-wide slump as the rest of us.

We don’t blame Judge for losing the ability to formulate a response to this question on Wednesday night.

After all, after 17 largely lifeless games from a battle-tested group, it’s really hard to be taken seriously when you say things like, “It’ll get better. Just trust us.”

But…won’t it? How will it not get better?!

Yankees star Aaron Judge was at a loss for words after Wednesday’s loss.

On the one hand, it would be nice to hear a more fervent declaration from Judge, the team’s de facto captain. We could use some fightin’ words or a little motivation, especially as Aaron Boone continues to insist this team is “close” to banging.

On the other hand, though…what are you supposed to say about this?

Even during a tough 2020 season, the Yankees led MLB in runs scored. Fans have a more negative opinion of their team than anyone, but this group doesn’t “choke,” nor were they a “one-year wonder” in 2019.

That being said…how do you explain this?

LAST in slugging and OPS. LAST!!

The team that fell one home run shy of the Minnesota Twins’ Bomba Squad in 2019 and would’ve set a homer record of their own if not for Nelson Cruz and Co. (without Giancarlo Stanton!) is now the absolute worst team in baseball at slugging.

It makes no sense. It makes no sense.

Platitudes feel empty when the team is mired in such an endless slump, especially to begin a season, but this team is on a 57-win pace they simply can’t sustain. Judge would fix it if he could. They all would. Logic dictates they’ll turn a corner soon and the words will begin to come more easily, but we don’t blame you if you’re losing control of your faculties, too.

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