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Yankees News: Aaron Judge addresses booing controversy, Austin Wells injury update

By Adam Weinrib |
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New York Yankees Photo Day / Mike Ehrmann/GettyImages
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When we last left Yankee Stadium, the prevailing media narrative surrounding these Yankees was that they were about to dissolve.

After all, during a disastrous ALCS loss to the Astros, they were booed off the field by a cadre of angry, rain-flecked drunkards. Yes, even Aaron Judge, in the wake of a 62-homer masterclass. Who would want to return to that?

Apparently, Judge. And Rizzo. And everyone else. And they managed to add Carlos Rodón. Because, as unenjoyable as that week was, these players get it. They're proud to wear the pinstripes. They understand the dissatisfaction. And maybe they like to get a little bothered every once in a while to get hot around the collar and go out the next year seeking vengeance.

At the time of the booing, Judge was diplomatic, stating simply, "I gotta play better." Now, four months later and with a long-term tether to the Bronx and $360 million addition in his pocket?

As he told Bob Klapisch this week ... no harm, no foul. No duh.

Honestly, I had no problem with getting booed. That’s what happens when you don’t come through. It wasn’t the first time I’d been booed in New York, probably not the last, so it didn’t come as a great shock. The fans were disappointed at how the season finished. I would’ve booed too. So, no, I didn’t take it personally. Not at all.
Aaron Judge

Like Derek Jeter said last fall, Yankees fans boo because they want to cheer. Also because MLB kept them prisoner a few days prior during an ALDS rain delay before cancelling the game and leaving them in the lurch trying to find their way home.

And also because ... losing to the Astros really sucks! Judge would rather be cheered, and he'll have plenty more chances to hear that adulation. This fan base has a resonant relationship with their forever captain, and the sonic waves of his Opening Day ovation -- his first as a Guaranteed Eternal Yankee -- should more than counteract some aggrieved grunts from last October.

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It was funny because we were looking eye-to-eye at each other. I was like, ‘This is new.’
Spencer Jones

Jones was reticent to compare himself to Judge, though, as many others have done due to their two-of-a-kind baseball physiques.

It’s definitely a compliment. It’s cool. But at the end of the day, I’m just going to do what I do. There’s only one Aaron Judge, right? And there’s only going to be one me.
Spencer Jones

Just have to add Dave Winfield for the three-way Spiderman Point.

  • Waiting to see Yankees top catching prospect Austin Wells get into action? Well, it's best to stay patient. He nearly ramped up from a bruised rib in recent days, but felt an additional tweak while on the trainer's table and was sent back for an extra MRI. That MRI revealed a fracture; Wells should return in 6-to-8 weeks. With Kyle Higashioka headed to the World Baseball Classic, it would've been nice to see Wells behind the plate. Hell, he could've even been an unorthodox solution in left field if his bat had carried the day this March. Oh well. Another one bites the very specific dust that only infects Yankees.

MLB News

  • Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow will again miss time; he felt an oblique tweak during a bullpen session, and will miss 6-to-8 weeks minimum -- though you and I both know that nursing an oblique back to health can be among the trickiest baseball injury propositions. With Glasnow starting the year on the IL, expect the Rays to replace him with eight previously-unseen guys who are just as good.
  • The Los Angeles Dodgers need a new starting shortstop after Gavin Lux's accident on the base paths Monday resulted in a torn ACL and LCL. He's out for the season, which would've been his first in the spotlight at the position. Isiah Kiner-Falefa on Line One? Oh, man, they hung up. Quick, Isiah, disguise your voice and call back.
  • Now, let's move on from the "Spring Training Injuries" portion of the program to the "Spring Training Freak Injuries" portion. Padres ace Joe Musgrove suffered a broken toe due to a workout accident, and knowing exactly what that accident probably was, that sounds extremely horrific. Right behind a snapped resistance band to the eyeball, it's hard to envision a more painful twist of fate in the weight room.
  • The Orioles and Pirates played an extra, unnecessary bottom of the ninth inning on Tuesday despite the home team being in the lead. The umpires left the field and refused to participate, leading immediately into -- you guessed it -- The Purge.
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