Yankees manager Aaron Boone says tests revealed a bone bruise in Aaron Judge's upper right rib.
The New York Yankees haven’t gotten the most out of Aaron Judge these past few weeks, and they’ll sideline him for a bit while they try to get to the bottom of why with the latest discovery of a bone bruise in his upper right rib that saw the Yankees scratch him from Tuesday’s lineup. The injury is reportedly making Judge feel it in his right shoulder, and it may be enough to keep out the three-time American League MVP for a small stretch as they await an evaluation by a specialist.
New York manager Aaron Boone said that the injury notably worsened over the weekend after popping up and nagging the star slugger for the last few weeks, and that tests on Monday confirmed there to be a bone bruise. He’ll now visit a specialist on Wednesday to ensure that it’s nothing more than a bone bruise, and until then, there isn’t much clarity on a return timeline.
He currently has his worst batting average since 2023 and is slashing .248/.375/.533 with 17 homers and 38 RBIs through 59 games. He’s only homered once in 18 games since May 10, and as he entered that game in a 1-for-24 slump, it’s fair to wonder whether this injury played more of a factor in his recent offensive downturn.
To read more about Judge’s season struggles and whether the injury news might explain some of this context, here is a good analysis from Yankees Roundtable writer Matthew Schmidt.
It’s a far cry from his production last season that saw Judge have a .331/.457.688 slash line with 53 home runs and 114 RBIs in 152 games. His absence will now see Jose Caballero get the start in right field, and it adds to a crowded injury room as the evaluation on Wednesday now feels very critical.
