Suzyn Waldman: Yankees Can't Risk Aaron Judge's Achilles Injury

Craig Carton (0:00)

Joining us, the long time voice of the New York Yankees, Suzyn Waldman. Suzyn, good to see you again.

Suzyn Waldman (0:05)

How are you? I'm great, thank you.

I wish they'd play this game right now, but it's 5.30. I'm like, God, what can you do here?

Craig Carton (0:11)

What time did you get to the stadium today?

Suzyn Waldman (0:13)

About two o'clock.

Craig Carton (0:15)

A six hour free game.

Suzyn Waldman (0:16)

It's ridiculous. I know it, but you're on a schedule, and you have to go, and now we're just sitting around, but I get to talk to you guys.

Craig Carton (0:23)

That's exactly right. So give me your initial thoughts a couple hours ago. We all heard that Giancarlo Stanton is on the roster for the wild card round, and Aaron Judge is not on the roster.

Suzyn Waldman (0:35)

Okay. First of all, Giancarlo Stanton, don't forget, has actually played games. He has actually, he's been shut down a couple of times. At Somerset, he's gotten at bats, and I just think the presence of him sitting there, and coming up, it would be great, it would be great if Garrett Crochet, who hasn't pitched in a year, and Giancarlo Stanton had come out in the bottom of the night fitting, with a tying run on third, I don't know what would happen, but I just, I understand that one, I really do, he was closer. As for Judge, and you and I go to this, because you're picking on this guy, there isn't an elite athlete in the world that doesn't think that he's superhuman, and I'm trying to think back, and I've brought in things way back, but CeCe Zabathia was like that. CeCe Zabathia actually blew his arm out, telling everybody he was fine to go out there. I watched Larry Bird lie down on the parquet with people moving his ribs around, or his back around, thinking that they weren't as good without him, and he was right. Jimmy Key pitched game six of the 96 World Series with two tears in his rotator cuff. He said, I can do it. They all think they can do it, until they can't.

I don't think he's that far off. I would not be surprised if he were on, if they get to the Division Series.

Craig Carton (1:49)

It seems like the last hurdle's running the bases.

Suzyn Waldman (1:51)

He's got to run, but that's, you have to see, the other thing is Giancarlo Stanton is very used to running a certain way.

Chris McMonigle (1:58)

He can get there.

Suzyn Waldman (2:00)

Aaron hasn't done anything, and I wonder if they're afraid, and I haven't asked him, I wonder if they're afraid the adrenaline will take over and he'll try and beat out an infield to him, or something like that. But I know they had a long talk after, he had batting practice yesterday against Weathers. He threw against, he hit against Weathers, he hit against Elmer Rodriguez, and he never moved out of the box.

And as soon as I saw that, I said, nah.

Craig Carton (2:25)

No, they can't risk it, because we were just saying off the air, he's a gamer, he wants to play, everybody respects that. He can obviously swing the bat.

Suzyn Waldman (2:32)

Right.

Craig Carton (2:33)

But what happens if he hits the ball into the gap, and he's got a leg out of double, like you said, hits a ground ball into the hole.

Suzyn Waldman (2:39)

Ground ball into the hole.

Craig Carton (2:40)

And now he's got to bust his butt down to first base. He's at risk of tearing the Achilles, and if there's baseball next year, he ain't playing.

Suzyn Waldman (2:47)

That's exactly right. But Boone said to me on the manager show, which you're gonna all listen to in about seven hours, that he's not that far away. And I guess the trainers and Boone sat with Judge last night after the batting practice and went over it and what they thought.

But ultimately it comes down to Aaron Boone, and I know Aaron talked to him later last night.

Craig Carton (3:10)

I guess the question I had was, because of the gravitas of who Aaron Judge is as a person and as a great player, three time MVP, et cetera, et cetera, could he have bullied his way onto the roster? And the answer is no.

Suzyn Waldman (3:24)

No, absolutely not. Because then if something happens, the trainers are at fault. No, no, you can't do that. Aaron doesn't like talking about...

Cece for those last two years said, I'm fine. And then we found out there was mush in his knee.