When will Aaron Judge return to Yankees lineup this season?

Saturday, June 24 update: Aaron Judge revealed to reporters on Saturday that he tore a ligament in his toe and experiences pain when he walks. New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone stated that he’s positive that Judge will return this year, but also relayed that the organization’s medical staff informed him that there’s a possibility he won’t come back.

Just when it seemed like the New York Yankees were finally on the mend after a tough couple of months, the injury bug has reared its head again this week. First Nestor Cortes was placed on the injured list with shoulder soreness, and on Tuesday afternoon it was revealed that Aaron Judge will need a stint on the IL himself.

The reigning AL MVP had been out of the lineup since Saturday, June 3, when he crashed into (and right through) the right field fence while making a spectacular catch at Dodger Stadium.

Judge saved a win for New York, but it came at a cost: The outfielder injured his toe on the play, and after letting it rest for a few days, the team determined that its star needed some time on the shelf. Here’s the latest on Judge’s condition and when we can expect to see him back in the Yankees lineup.

Aaron Judge injury update

After Tuesday night’s loss to the Chicago White Sox, manager Aaron Boone announced that the team would be putting Judge on the IL ahead of Wednesday’s game.

Obviously any time without Judge is a devastating blow to a Yankees lineup that just got Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson back and is still dealing with an injury to fellow outfielder Harrison Bader. If there’s a silver lining here, though, it’s that Judge avoided the worst-case scenario: The team had been afraid of a broken toe, but further testing revealed a contusion and a ligament sprain. There’s still not a timetable for the outfielder’s return, but that bit of good news likely makes his return a matter of weeks more than months.

This will be Judge’s second trip to the injured list so far this season — he missed nearly two weeks with a strained hip in late April — but when he’s been on the field, he’s been just about as great as he was during his 62-homer campaign last year. The outfielder leads the AL with 19 dingers in just 49 games, to go along with 40 RBI, 42 runs scored and a Major League-leading 1.078 OPS. There’s obviously no replacing that sort of production, but with Judge sidelined, the Yankees will likely turn to a combination of Jake Bauers (slugging .500 since making his debut just over a month ago) and Willie Calhoun. New York enters play on Wednesday third in the AL East at 36-26.