Over the years, the Yankees have been able to overcome just about anything thrown their way during the regular season.
Everything, basically, other than the loss of Aaron Judge.
So the fact Judge is now sidelined with what the team is calling a bone bruise near his right rib cage, which is impacting his shoulder when he swings, is certainly alarming.
Aaron Boone said Judge, out of the lineup in the Yankees’ 9-4 loss to the Guardians in The Bronx, got imaging Monday after the injury had been “nagging for a couple of weeks” and worsened over the weekend in Sacramento.
“I noticed it on a couple swings,” Boone said.
Judge received imaging Monday and was met with team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad on Tuesday.
Boone said after Tuesday’s loss that Judge will see a specialist Wednesday because the injury is in a “unique spot.”
“Hopefully it’s day to day [or] a few days,” Boone said. “It could be longer based on how he’s feeling. Hopefully we avoided something serious.”
There was no specific play that’s been tied to the injury, but it helps explain Judge’s recent issues at the plate.
Though Judge still has some of the best numbers in the game, he mostly struggled in May. Now, his June is off to a worrisome start.
Dr. Spencer Stein, NYU Langone sports orthopedic surgeon, said that the type of injury Judge suffered can have a wide range of healing time.
“It needs rest,” Dr. Stein said by phone. “This injury can happen with repetitive overuse, so it could be as simple as resting for a week or two, but if it’s more like a stress fracture, that could be more like 8-10 weeks.”
That’s far from a worst-case scenario for the Yankees, who overcame Judge’s brief IL stint last season when the slugger suffered a flexor strain in his right elbow that impacted much of his second half, but were derailed by the impact of a torn ligament in his right big toe in 2023, when they missed the playoffs.
He also dealt with a stress fracture in his right rib, diagnosed in spring training of 2020, but likely suffered on a diving play in right field the previous September.
That injury sidelined Judge for two weeks before the season was delayed by COVID.
Asked if this injury could be related to what happened more than six years ago, Boone said, “It’s tough to say. We’ll look at it and try to rule out anything.”
Ben Rice said Judge was in a “good headspace” when they spoke, acknowledging it’s a “big loss” when he’s not in the lineup.
In his previous 22 games, Judge was 17-for-82 with just six extra-base hits, 14 walks and 26 strikeouts. He also went through a 2-for-26 rut late last month, which featured seven straight strikeouts.
Dr. Stein said the bone bruise could affect Judge’s swing path or weaken the swing.
Judge had four hard-hit balls on Saturday against the A’s, but little to show for it in Sacramento, when Boone approached the slugger.
“I said something to him this weekend and was paying close attention to it the last couple days,” Boone said.
Without Judge, José Caballero started in right field on Tuesday.
Jasson Domínguez, sidelined with a sprained left shoulder after crashing into the fence in left field at the Stadium last month, is set to face live batting practice for the first time on Wednesday and could begin a minor league rehab assignment Friday.