Judge will go to the injured list with a rib fracture; Yankees expect his return this season

New York. The New York Yankees received a hard blow after it was confirmed that their star Aaron Judge suffered a stress fracture in his first right rib, an injury that will force him to remain out of action for several weeks, although the club maintains hope of recovering him before the end of the campaign.

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The organization announced this Friday that the Yankees captain was placed on the 10-day injured list and will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks, a period after which the next steps of his recovery will be determined.

Despite the initial concern, the diagnosis brought some relief within the franchise, as there was a fear of an injury that could end his 2026 season. Judge was evaluated by specialist Dr. Gregory Pearl, recognized for working with high-performance athletes in cases related to thoracic injuries.

For several days, the gardener remained in New York undergoing multiple medical studies, including magnetic resonance imaging, X-rays, and computed tomography scans. As manager Aaron Boone explained, the inflammation in the area initially made it difficult to identify the exact source of the problem.

Judge had been experiencing discomfort in his right shoulder over the last two weeks, especially when swinging. The slugger was absent for the first time this season last Tuesday, after feeling pain during the series against the Athletics in West Sacramento.

In his absence, the Yankees used Panamanian José Caballero and Max Schuemann in right field during the series against Cleveland. Additionally, the team promoted prospect Spencer Jones from Triple-A to bolster the roster.

“Aaron means so much to us. He plays great baseball and brings energy every single day,” expressed pitcher Gerrit Cole. “When a big player gets injured, the rest of the team has to step up.”

For his part, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. highlighted the positive attitude of the New York captain during this process.

“I have never seen him negative. He is still the same as always and is handling this very well,” commented Chisholm.

Judge’s offensive slump had been evident in recent weeks. Since May 11, he was batting just .206, with one home run and eight runs batted in. On the season, he is hitting .248, with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs in 59 games.

It is not the first time that Judge has faced a similar injury. In 2019, he suffered a stress fracture in the same right rib and a partially collapsed lung after a spectacular catch in September of that year, a situation that affected part of his preparation for the 2020 campaign.

Now, the Yankees hope their star player can fully recover and return before the end of the regular season.