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OK, so the Yankees won't have Aaron Judge for the Wild Card Series. Now what?
It's not like they're going to roll over in the playoffs just because they don't have him in the lineup. They've been playing most of the season without Judge already, and here they are, right back in the playoffs.
But missing your best hitter -- maybe the best hitter -- obviously hurts. We're not going to sugarcoat that. Even if Judge can return for the Division Series or later rounds, it's just much tougher to get through a postseason series without Judge than with Judge.
So how can the Bronx Bombers make a run even without their captain and three-time MVP? Yankees beat reporter Bryan Hoch rattled off five big reasons today, and we want to piggyback off that.
Here are three hitters who will have to step up if the Yankees are going to win without Judge:
1) Ben Rice
With no Judge in the lineup, Rice has to be The Guy. And he's shown all year that he can lead this lineup. His .884 OPS this season is by far the best of any healthy Yankees hitter -- Cody Bellinger is next at .779.
But Rice will still need to carry that 39-homer, 95-RBI bat into October. Last year, after his breakout regular season, Rice didn't have the best playoffs, batting .222 in six games -- but he did hit a big home run in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox.
2) Paul Goldschmidt
Especially in the first round, Goldy could have a big chance to step up. If the Yankees do indeed end up in a rematch against the Red Sox, they'd have to face two good lefty starters in a three-game series in Payton Tolle and Ranger Suarez … not to mention Aroldis Chapman and maybe even Garrett Crochet out of the bullpen. And against lefties, Goldschmidt is the Yankees' secret weapon.
The 39-year-old former MVP has had a resurgence as a platoon bat this season. Goldschmidt is batting .307 with 11 home runs and a .990 OPS in 179 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers. He's one of the best lefty mashers in the league. As he tries to win that elusive World Series late in his career, this will be Goldschmidt's opportunity to make a difference.
3) Spencer Jones
If there's anyone who can literally step into Judge's shoes, it's Jones. The 6-foot-7 rookie slugger provides some of the biggest thump in this Yankees lineup. As long as Judge is out, he should have the chance to provide some big swings in his first career postseason.
The lefty-swinging Jones might only be in the lineup against right-handed pitchers, but the Yankees won't face all southpaws, and when Jones is in there he can punish a baseball. He has the fastest bat speed in the Yankees lineup when Judge and Giancarlo Stanton aren't playing. Jones is averaging an elite 77.1 mph, which is top-10 in the Majors.
