The injury that has kept reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge out of the lineup for three games may be more serious than originally thought.
Judge was referred to a vascular specialist based in Dallas as he continues to be sidelined with what the Yankees have called a bone bruise in his upper right rib. He had a CT scan on Thursday after undergoing an MRI earlier in the week when he met with another specialist. Manager Aaron Boone said that an edema or swelling has complicated efforts to figure out just what’s wrong with his star player. The fact that he underwent three different types of imaging in 24 hours should be alarming.
Judge was previously diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right ribs in March 2020. He suffered the injury when diving for a ball in September 2019.
The specialist the Yankees are consulting with is Dr. Gregory Pearl, who specializes in thoracic outlet syndrome management. If Judge does have thoracic outlet syndrome, it could sideline him for the rest of the season. That would likely be a fatal blow to the Yankees’ season.
Boone noted that Judge had been dealing with discomfort in his shoulder for a few weeks, but it only really bothers him when he swings.
New York is currently a half-game behind the Rays atop the AL East, and Judge is the cornerstone of the team’s offense. Through 59 games this season, he is slashing .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs, 38 RBIs and a wRC+ of 150. By his lofty standards, it has been a bit of a down year. And since May 11, he is only hitting .206 with one home run and eight RBIs.
Ace pitcher Gerrit Cole discussed with MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch what Judge means to the team and how it could move forward without him.
“Aaron obviously means a lot to us,“ Cole said. “He just plays great baseball all the time and brings great energy. It’s tough when guys get hurt, but unfortunately, it’s part of the game. As a team, you’ve got to figure out how to step up in those situations, and so that’s what we’ll do.“
New York’s offense has been bolstered by first baseman Ben Rice’s breakout campaign. The 27-year-old is slashing .304/.395/.647 with 17 home runs, 44 RBIs and a wRC+ of 184, and ranks third in baseball with 2.7 fWAR. While the team might be able to tread water if Judge is out a month or two, World Series contention is almost certainly out of the question if they lose one of the sport’s best players for the season.
The hope is that this is something that will pass relatively quickly. It’s worth noting that the Yankees have yet to put Judge on the injured list. But the fact that he has consulted multiple specialists and undergone multiple rounds of imaging does not inspire confidence that he’ll escape a major injury.
It’s a waiting game for New York until the medical experts come back with answers. The news could alter the course of the 2026 season.
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