“Aaron Judge is the most important person” - MLB insider compares Yankees' lack of support for their captain to Dodgers' support for Shohei Ohtani

It has been a recurring story that the New York Yankees' lineup is thin without Aaron Judge, who has seemingly been carrying the offense over the last few seasons. His form may determine whether the team makes it to the playoffs or not, currently in the third American League Wild Card spot with a 61-54 record.

Hall of Famer John Smoltz, appearing on the "Flippin' Bats" podcast hosted by Ben Verlander, said New York is a vulnerable team after Aaron Judge's injury. He compared the Yankees to the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose lineup supports Shohei Ohtani.

"Aaron Judge is the most important person in baseball to one team," Smoltz said. "You can make the argument Shohei Ohtani is definitely that to the Dodgers, but they have a surrounding cast that that supports a lot better than maybe the New York Yankees do, and that's not slighting the players in New York.

"It's just the fact that L.A. has put together a pretty impressive roster. But staying healthy is the key to everything. And the Yankees for years now have not been able to keep their two big sluggers healthy."

Behind Ohtani, the Dodgers have players like Freddie Freeman and Will Smith actively getting on base and contending for the NL batting title. Behind them cleanup hitters like Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy and Andy Pages have amounted for 53 home runs.

The Yankees, meanwhile, have been dependent on Judge's production. The next best stats belong to Cody Bellinger .824 OPS and .275 average, falling short of expectations of the void left by Juan Soto.

Stanton, in just 37 games, has hit .286 and .868 OPS but his chances will be limited with Judge playing as the designated hitter due to his injury.

Aaron Judge hopeful of quick return to outfield

Aaron Judge was placed on the IL due to a right flexor strain, that included a five-game skid for the team. He has since returned to the lineup as a DH but there is no set timeline for his return to the outfield. The slugger believes it may take a few weeks after taking his first throwing session.

“I think for a little bit and then eventually it will get better and we’ll be good to go and forget about it in a couple weeks. We’ll see, I’ve never had this. It’d be easier if I had a quad or a hammy or an oblique and I could give you guys a better estimate about what we got," he said.

Without Judge the Yankees have a 197-176 record since his debut. Even though he is back, the Yankees would hope to get him back to full fitness.