Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees’ most prized possession, is currently serving time on the injury list due to a gruesome toe injury. The reigning AL-MVP winner, who raked the league in 2022, has been forced to limit his participation in the ongoing MLB season. With the second half commencing on Friday, there are still no signs of Judge’s return anytime soon.

However, despite injuries, Aaron Judge received a place in this year’s American League All-Star team. Unfortunately, he had to give the event a miss due to obvious reasons. Meanwhile, ahead of the second half of the season, Judge has been nominated for another prestigious award. But his competition is with the legend of another popular sport.

Aaron Judge Nominated For Best Male Athlete Category At ESPY Awards Alongside Lionel Messi!

The ESPY Awards is an annual event that recognizes the achievements of athletes across various sports. While the nominees for the awards are selected by sportswriters, broadcasters, and executives, the winners are decided by a global fan vote. Meanwhile, as far as MLB’s recognition is concerned, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Justin Verlander, and Julio Rodriguez have received nominations in multiple categories. The Yankees captain will fight it out for the Best Male Athlete award. However, his competition is with the legend of the sport of football.

Alongside Aaron Judge, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and Argentina/Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi are nominated for the Best Male Athlete category. Naturally, Messi enjoys a large fan base not just in Europe but around the globe. Hence, his odds will remain higher. Regardless, Judge’s nomination this year is an achievement in itself. While his 2022 season remained one of the best the sport has ever witnessed, this year has been completely opposite. Multiple injuries have limited his participation to only 49 of the Yankees’ 91 games. But even in those 49 games, he hit 19 homers, 40 RBI with a .291 batting average and a 1.078 OPS. The award will be handed out on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Aaron Boone’s Brother Makes Big Claim On Aaron Judge’s Return

Yankees manager Aaron Boone has stayed tight-lipped about Aaron Judge’s return timeline right from day one. It suggested that he has no confidence in the slugger’s return this season. While the captain himself has time and again confirmed his intent to return, the manager has stayed mum. If not Aaron, the other Boone has surprisingly had an update to offer. The Yanks skipper’s brother, Bret Boone, appeared on CBS Sports Radio and made a huge claim.

Bret claimed that Aaron Judge could return right after the All-Star break. He had apparently heard some grumblings about it in the recent past. He further added that Aaron Boone has chosen to stay tight-lipped because he does not want to oversell the situation and instill false hope among the fans. Earlier reports of Judge’s return post a week after the All-Star break also surfaced. Hence, there might be some grounds for Bret’s claim. But until and unless an official word comes out of the Yanks’ office, we cannot be certain.

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