Aaron Judge Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Last year, New York Yankees superstar slugger Aaron Judge missed 42 games after suffering a toe injury. As he prepares for the upcoming 2024 Major League Baseball season, he admitted that he thinks the injury will require “constant maintenance.”

Aaron Judge suffered a torn ligament in his right big toe last year when he crashed into the right-field fence at Dodger Stadium during a game in early June. The injury caused him to miss 42 games and was a big reason why the team ultimately missed the postseason.

As he heads into this season, Judge acknowledges that this is likely an injury that he’ll have to be careful with the remainder of his career to make sure that it “doesn’t flare up again.”

“It’s going to be I think a constant maintenance I think the rest of my career,” Judge said Tuesday according to ESPN. “Anything with injuries like that, you just got to stay on top of it so it doesn’t flare up again.”

Part of this, Judge understands, is simply being more aware when he’s on the field. But he thinks moving to centerfield will help that, as well.

“I think it’s about playing smarter,” Judge said. “understanding the field, understanding the dimensions. In that case, I thought I had one extra step and I didn’t in that situation, so that always goes back on me. I got to be a little smarter there. So, yeah, just like this year, I’ve got play smart. But, no, I don’t think they’ll be any cement bottoms of walls in center field.”

We’ll have to see how Judge protects himself and deals with the injury this season.

[ESPN]