Aaron Judge spent the All-Star break undergoing the examination that could define the Yankees’ season. The captain received new imaging on his fractured right first rib nearly six weeks after the initial diagnosis. New York announced the results Friday afternoon: there is progress, but healing left to be done. Judge will return for imaging at a later date.
The Yankees still expect Judge to play again this season. General manager Brian Cashman said the projected healing period should leave enough time for a return. However, the organization never expected this week’s imaging to show a completely healed rib.
The immediate question is whether doctors found enough progress for Judge to begin upper-body exercises. He has largely been limited to lower-body conditioning since joining the injured list June 5. Hitting, throwing, live pitching, and possibly rehabilitation games must follow before his activation.
August remains the best-case return window. That projection depends upon Judge beginning his baseball progression soon and avoiding pain during each stage. Any additional shutdown would push his return toward September.
Judge believes the fracture occurred during an awkward diving attempt in Houston on April 26. He continued playing for five more weeks before the pain compromised his swing. Judge batted .180 with one home run after May 12, then played his final game May 31.
He still reached the injured list with a .248 average, 17 home runs, 38 RBI, and a .907 OPS. Those numbers explain the scale of his absence. New York entered the break at 54-42, three games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East.
The Yankees have offered no guarantee beyond their expectation that Judge will return. This week’s imaging should determine how quickly that expectation becomes an actual baseball schedule.
The short answer remains yes: Judge should play again this season. The longer answer begins with the next round of imaging, the next hurdle toward full resumption of baseball activities.
