Aaron Judge is headed back to the injured list, but oddsmakers don’t appear worried about the Yankees’ World Series chances.
The Bombers remained +800 to win the World Series at BetMGM Sportsbook as of Saturday afternoon, which is the same price the Yankees had earlier this week before news broke that Judge would land on the 10-day IL with a right calf strain.
DraftKings Sportsbook has made only a slight adjustment, with the Yankees sitting at +850 after being +800 earlier in the week.
The Yankees remain among the shortest-priced teams in baseball, behind only the Dodgers and Brewers and essentially alongside the Rays.
Although neither team’s odds moved much, the injury helped Tampa Bay leapfrog the Yankees as the betting favorite in the American League, but that may have had more to do with the Rays moving closer to shoring up the AL East and a first-round bye.
Judge suffered the injury during Wednesday’s loss to the Twins, just over a week after returning from the fractured rib that sidelined him for more than three months.
The Yankees officially placed their captain on the IL Saturday, retroactive to Thursday, meaning he will not be eligible to return until Sept. 27, which is the final day of the regular season.
Judge has played just 66 games this season, hitting .241 with 18 home runs and 41 RBIs.
The Yankees managed to stay afloat during his lengthy absence, with their pitching staff carrying a big part of the load, which has apparently impressed oddsmakers enough to believe in the team.
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Vegas’ confidence in the Yankees title chances could signal that bookies expect Judge to be ready for October, although it remains unclear when Judge will be ready to return to the field.
They entered Saturday’s play at 89-64 after beating the Diamondbacks on Friday night and hold the top AL wild-card spot.
