The New York Yankees are fighting to get by without star slugger Aaron Judge, who sustained a minor wrist fracture after being hit by a pitch, and the reigning AL home run champion is anxious to get back onto the field.

"I'm not frustrated with the pace [of the healing]. I'm frustrated with being out," Judge said, via Coley Harvey of ESPN.com, while adding that he was given a cortisone shot to the wrist earlier in the week.

Judge came out of nowhere last season to club 52 home runs and 114 RBI, leading the Yankees to a surprise playoff berth and eventual trip to the ALCS, where they lost to the Houston Astros in seven games.

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The 26-year-old picked up right where he left off from last year, clubbing 26 home runs and 61 RBI while batting .285. He and prized offseason addition Giancarlo Stanton have become the feared power duo that we all expected in 2018, but the Pinstripes haven't been the same without Judge.

Though the Yankees own a stellar 75-45 record, they entered play on Thurday 10 games behind the Boston Red Sox for first in the AL East. Though Boston is in the midst of their greatest regular season ever, the Yankees have been struggling to play .500 ball in August, and their season will almost certainly come down to the single elimination AL Wild Card Game in October.

The Yankees aren't going to catch the Red Sox, so the goal is to hold down the top wild card spot in hopes of hosting the single-game knockout. There's no need to rush Judge back, and they simply need to just focus on having him recover smoothly as he tries to contribute towards another big playoff push in October.

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