The New York Yankees may get a clearer timeline for the potential return of superstar Aaron Judge in the coming days, as general manager Brian Cashman said the outfielder will get re-imaging on his rib injury over the All-Star break.
Cashman made the announcement on Thursday, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reported.
The three-time American League MVP has been out since May 31 with a stress fracture in his rib, and the team has provided few updates in the five weeks since regarding the status of one of the game’s premier sluggers.
“I’ve got nothing for you,” Judge said at the beginning of July before the Yankees faced the Detroit Tigers. “You know how it goes around here — guys can feel good, feel bad, but you’ve got to wait on images. I’ll give you a good update when we get some imaging.”
The 34-year-old Judge had 17 home runs and 38 runs batted in over 59 games before going on the injured list, but his production had waned in the weeks leading up to the official diagnosis - he had one homer in his final 18 games before getting sidelined, including an 11-game homerless drought.
The Yankees have gone 14-19 in 33 games since Judge went to the IL, after starting the season 36-23 with him in the lineup. The Yankees have won just two of their past 11 games, scoring three or fewer runs in eight of those games.
“It’s not great - just a little lack of focus,” Judge said last week in the midst of a seven-game losing streak. “We’ve just got to dial it in. Our ultimate goal is to win a World Series. I think guys have just got to remember that every single day they show up here. We’re here to win a World Series, so that’s your motivation.”
Including a stint on the COVID-19 injured list in July 2021, Judge is on the IL for the 10th time since debuting on Aug. 13, 2016. He missed 45 games with a fractured right wrist in 2018, 54 games with a strained left oblique in 2019 and 42 games with a fractured toe in 2023 after crashing into a wall while making a catch at Dodger Stadium.
But when he’s on the field, Judge is one of the game’s most feared hitters. He set an American League record with 62 home runs in 2022, when he won the first of three MVP awards over the past four seasons, and has hit more than 50 home runs in four separate seasons in his career.
The Yankees enter Thursday’s series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays at 50-42, second in the AL East.
