Yankees Face Tough Start as Aaron Judge Heads to Injured List

The Yankees kicked off the summer on a rough note, placing Aaron Judge on the injured list due to a stress fracture in his right first rib. This decision came after the team’s announcement on Thursday night.

Manager Aaron Boone emphasized that replacing “the best hitter in the sport” is just not feasible. “You’re not replacing Aaron Judge,” he noted, underscoring the team’s loss.

With already limited depth in the outfield—especially with Jason Dominguez on the IL due to a sprained left shoulder—the Yankees have turned to Spencer Jones to fill Judge’s spot. Reports suggest this move was made to stabilize the roster, despite Jones’ earlier struggles, where he went 4-for-24 without any extra-base hits, walking three times and striking out 12 times in 27 at-bats.

Dominguez is expected to start a minor league rehab assignment today. Still, whoever the Yankees call up will need to step up in a big way, potentially leaving a significant gap in the lineup until Judge is back, which could take at least two months.

In the meantime, the Yankees announced that Judge will need to rest and will undergo another imaging test in about four to six weeks to assess the healing progress and decide on future steps. The team has stated he “plans to return at some point this season.”

Boone mentioned that Judge had been dealing with shoulder soreness for a while now, indicating that the injury worsened during a recent game against the Athletics.

This injury saga isn’t new for Judge, who just last week underwent multiple tests following the initial examination, including an MRI, CT scan, and X-ray to clarify the diagnosis.

Despite his recent drop in performance, hitting 17 home runs with a .907 OPS, this issue adds to a list of injuries he has faced. Last season, he dealt with a flexor strain in his right elbow and missed a significant portion of this year with a torn ligament in his right big toe after colliding with a wall.

Interestingly, Judge had a similar rib issue back in September 2019. Unfortunately, that injury went undiagnosed until the following spring, after delays caused by the pandemic.

Without Judge, the Yankees struggled in their recent series against Cleveland, losing two out of three games in the Bronx. Historically, since 2017, the team has a record of 137-127 when Judge is absent, compared to an impressive 652-442 when he plays.