The Yankees announced tonight that Aaron Judge has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right rib. Judge will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks after a period of rest and limited activity.
It’s a crushing piece of news, though one that at least avoids the worst-case scenario. After days of testing, fears spread that Judge could be suffering from thoracic outlet syndrome, which would have almost certainly ended his season. Instead, Judge seems likely to return at some point this season, but when that could be is anyone’s guess at the moment.
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Judge missed his first game of the season on Tuesday, with the slugger apparently having dealt with shoulder pain for the last few weeks. The discomfort coincided with one of Judge’s worst slumps of the last few years, Judge running a .672 OPS over his last 20 games.
New York will soon place Judge on the IL and get a healthy player on the roster in his place, perhaps top outfield prospect Spencer Jones. Giancarlo Stanton and Jasson Domínguez are both progressing in their respective recoveries, but neither is ready to replace Judge on the roster. It goes without saying that no one is prepared to replace a healthy Judge’s production, and we now have to hope that we’ll get to see a healthy Judge back on the field some time this year.
