Aaron Judge Injury Update Sends Yankees Nasty Curve Ball
When the Yankees returned home Tuesday, the first thing anyone noticed was Aaron Judge's name omitted from the lineup card and listed as available hitters on the bench.
It would be normal to think Judge was simply getting a day off after playing the first 59 games and struggling at the plate for the past few weeks. It would also be normal to think something was physically wrong and in drips and drabs the Yankees revealed that was the case.
On Tuesday, manager Aaron Boone described it as nagging shoulder pain and said it was plausible to think it contributed to him hitting one homer in the previous 18 games. A little while after Boone's comments, the Yankees clarified the injury as a bone bruise in his right rib that is causing pain in his right shoulder.
Two days later, Boone mentioned there was some edema, which is swelling and Thursday afternoon, the Yankees said Judge was getting results checked out by a vascular surgeon in Dallas named Dr. Gregory Pearl, who is known for research in thoracic outlet syndrome.
What is the exact diagnosis?
For now, the problem with Judge's physical condition is not thoracic outlet syndrome, which certainly would have ended his season and derailed numerous pitchers, including Matt Harvey in 2016 with the Mets.
Instead, about six hours after the Yankees beat the Guardians Thursday, the Yankees announced Judge's injury is a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side. The injury will require a period of rest and limited activity before getting reevaluated in about four to six weeks.
In other words, don't expect to see Judge on the field until August at the earliest and even that might be a stretch considering once he gets cleared live at-bats on the field and in minor league rehab games will be necessary.
Are the Yankees equipped to handle Judge's absence?
The Yankees were 35-25 after winning the game when Judge fractured his toe making a catch at Dodger Stadium. When he returned shortly before the trade deadline, they were 54-48, eight games out in the AL East and 3 1/2 games behind the second wild-card spot.
During his absence, the Yankees were 19-23 and seven different players started in right field while the Yankees waited for their superstar. Giancarlo Stanton took a few of those starts but the other six players to fill in for Judge were Oswaldo Cabrera, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Jake Bauers, Willie Calhoun, Billy McKinney and Franchy Cordero in an 82-80 season when nine players started at least once in right field.
So far, the Yankees used Jose Caballero and Max Schuemann in right field and both acquitted themselves well. In the near future, Cody Bellinger might wind up taking the bulk of time in right field for Judge, especially when Jasson Dominguez is ready to return from his shoulder injury.
Bellinger is way better defensively than any of Judge's seven replacements in 2023 and has made 50 starts in right field without committing an error since joining the Yankees in a trade from the Cubs following the 2024 season.
The Yankees are also going to give Spencer Jones another look in right field. Jones disappointed by going 4-for-24 with 12 strikeouts in his first two weeks in the majors last month when he replaced Dominguez and made two starts in right field.
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What might Yankee games look like without Judge?
The Yankees head into the first game after Judge's diagnosis leading the majors with 89 homers, one ahead of the Atlanta Braves, who have withstood Ronald Acuna's injury woes numerous times and even won the 2021 World Series without Acuna.
Another area where the Yankees are leading is their 61 stolen bases after getting three more on Thursday. For comparison, the Yankees were 20th with 100 steals in 2023 -- the first year with rules favoring baserunners.
The Yankees stole six bases in the first three games without Judge and Thursday was the seventh time they finished with at least three steals and that is half their amount of games with at least three stolen bases from last season.
Besides the stolen bases, the Yankees will continue relying on Ben Rice to keep his star turn going, hope Stanton can return in the near future from a calf injury that has kept him out for nearly two months and hope Jazz Chisholm Jr. can continue his recent improvement from a slow start.
How have the Yankees done without Judge in the past?
The Yankees own plenty of experience watching Judge put up big numbers and climb up the all-time home list. Before hitting one homer in his past 18 games – including none in a span of 11 games, Judge had a good chance of approaching 400 career homers by or shortly after the All-Star break.
For as much experience with his big numbers, unfortunately the Yankees are well-versed in discussing injuries and will be discussing how to win without the three-time MVP for the foreseeable future in a weakened American League.
Including a stint on the COVID-19 injured list in 2021, Judge will be on the injured list for the ninth time since debuting Aug. 13, 2016. In the previous IL stints, the Yankees are a combined 111-90 with their best performance being the 37-17 mark they achieved in his 54-game absence with an oblique injury in 2019.
If the Yankees can come close to the 2019 record, they should be in good position for the postseason record. Even close to .500 should keep them in playoff contention, but the Yankees would like to do more than tread water until their superstar returns.
Related: Yankees Obvious Answer If Aaron Judge Requires IL Stint
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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 9:23 AM.