Yankees Rumors: Aaron Judge is back, but what does that mean?

Aaron Judge is back, hitting two home runs on Saturday in a critical comeback over the Tampa Bay Rays. However, just because Judge is rounding into form doesn't necessarily means fans should expect Superman to put his cap back on right away.

Judge admitted as much, suggesting that as great as last season was, he can't possibly compare it to this year. Every season is different, and as much as Judge would like to hit 62 home runs again, doing so is very, very unlikely at this juncture.

"If I waste time comparing my stats to last year, I'd be spinning myself in circles,'' Judge said Friday. "Each year is so different. Sometimes you have a hot start and cool off in the middle. Other years, you start slow and you deal with that. Your numbers are gonna be whatever they are at the end of year. You just make sure you prepare and put in the work. If you worry about it then, you start with the dips and slides."

Given New York's early injury struggles, however, getting Judge back in the lineup in any capacity was bound to have an immediate payoff. They're a far more complete team with him involved, obviously.

New York, as currently constructed, is a playoff team. Whether they reach their World Series aspirations is largely dependent on Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone, and if they make the necessary changes at the deadline.

Yankees Rumors: Has New York struck gold with Jake Bauers?

Jake Bauers is a former top prospect, previously with the Rays and Padres. However, he fell upon hard times in recent years until his latest call-up by Brian Cashman and Co. In just nine games, Bauers is slashing has a .994 OPS and two home runs.

Bauers has struck out in over 30 percent of his at-bats so far at the MLB level, a mark he'll have to decrease once pitchers figure him out, or else he'll end up right bat in the minors. However, as Chris Kirschner of The Athletic pointed out, Bauers has made some necessary adjustments prior to his latest opportunity in the Bronx.

"Bauers has flattened his bat path over the past year. When the Yankees got him in their system, Bauers' swing was steep up out of the zone, which led to higher than average miss rates, popup rates and groundball rates."

Bauers can be power threat when at his best, and he's not much help defensively. This leaves few spots for the Yankees to play him when at full strength. For him to keep receiving at-bats, he'll have to keep up his current hot pace, or else.

New York has been a good spot for players to revamp their careers in the past — look no further than Matt Carpenter in 2022. Bauers had a .304/.448/.797 slash line in Triple-A, which prompted his call-up from New York's perspective. They don't have much to lose right now given they have plenty of room on the roster.

Yankees Rumors: Some St. Louis Cardinals trade targets

With the Cardinals recent struggles, could they be a seller at the trade deadline? If matters don't improve, expect them to restock for next season in the form of acquiring starting pitching. It's an area the Cards are lacking, and no amount of Willson Contreras blame can change that.

With that in mind, Yanks Go Yard discussed some Cards trade targets this week, namely Tyler O'Neill, Dylan Carlson and Alec Burleson. Of those three, the most likely to be moved from a St. Louis perspective are Carlson and O'Neill. The Cards see Burleson as a key piece of their future, even should this season continue to spiral.

Of those two, the Yanks could see O'Neill as the preferable target because of his contract status. While the drama between O'Neill and manager Oli Marmol seems like a thing of the past at this juncture, there's no way something like that is simply forgotten:

"Maybe the Yankees prefer Carlson, but they're more likely to acquire a pre-arb or arbitration-eligible player than they are to add someone who's wrapping up a free agent contract. Keep your eyes firmly planted on the Cardinals these next few weeks, and hope O'Neill fights back from his balky back soon," YGY's Adam Weinrib wrote.

Just a year after trading Jordan Montgomery for Harrison Bader, the Yankees could go back to the well and acquire another oft-injured Cardinals outfielder. Hell, it worked out the first time.