MLB analyst claims Yankees boast enough quality among ranks to stand up in Aaron Judge's absence: "Only so much impact one player can have"

After completing a highlight reel catch on June 4, it was announced that Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees would be heading to the IL with a broken toe.

Immediately, fans of the team began to fear the worst. The AL home run leader has been pivotal for his team this season, and a massive part of why the team's 19-10 run in the month of May saw them scale up the standings.

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Although the original timeline given was "days", fans think that Aaron Judge could very likely be out longer. Some comments from manager Aaron Boone, coupled with the fact that broken toe recovery times usually take four to six weeks has fans fearing they might not see their captain for a while.

Recently, former All-Star pitcher and current YES Network statistician James Smyth reassured Yankees fans. Speaking on David Cone's podcast, Toeing the Slab, Smyth postulated that the New York Yankees are more than Aaron Judge, stating:

"Aaron Judge missing from the lineup is going to be a big absence. But, at the same time, it is baseball and there's only so much impact one player can have"

Smyth reminded Yankees fans that their pitching has been spectacular. With a 2.82 ERA among relievers, the Yankees bullpen has been the most effective in the MLB this season.

Smyth did admit that the Yankees have scored about 1.5 more runs on average with Judge in the lineup. However, resurgent bats like Josh Donaldson and Jake Bauers, who have combined for five home runs and eight RBIs since June 1, give hope for fans in the Bronx.

With 96 home runs so far this season, the Yankees are second only to the Tampa Bay Rays in AL dingers this season. Although Judge accounts for about a fifth of those, the lineup as a whole is definetly starting to hit with more consistency.

Aaron Judge absence opens door to world of possibilities for Yankees

For the first few weeks of the season, manager Aaron Boone had his hands full attempting to square young talent against established name within his lineup. Now, at least fans will have the opportunity to get to see players like Oswaldo Cabrera, Jake Bauers, Greg Allen, and others in more regular roles while Judge nurses himself back to health, however long that might take.