Brian Cashman didn’t have a return date for Aaron Judge on Thursday. But the Yankees general manager did offer the next checkpoint in the slugger’s recovery from a rib injury. Judge will undergo re-imaging on his rib during the All-Star break, Cashman said, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
That scan could offer some clarity on when — or if — Judge plays again this season. The Yankees haven’t ruled out a return, and they’re obviously not the same team without him. The numbers say it all: New York is 36-23 with Judge in the lineup this year and just 14-19 without him. That’s a .610 winning percentage versus .424. Not subtle.
Judge has been limited to 59 games in 2024. In that time he’s slashed .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs, 10 doubles and a .907 OPS. For a guy who won AL MVP in 2022 and finished second last year, that’s a down year by his standards. But it’s still better than most. He’s 34 now, and while three MVP awards suggest he’s still elite, the rib issue has clearly lingered.
The Yankees entered Thursday’s game against the Rays at 50-42, sitting five games back of Tampa Bay in the AL East. Thursday’s game is the fourth of a four-game set, with the Rays leading the series 2-1. First pitch is at 1:10 PM EST.
Why this matters for the Yankees’ playoff push
New York isn’t dead yet. But they’re not exactly rolling. The rotation has been solid enough, and the bullpen has held up. But the offense without Judge looks a whole lot thinner. Giancarlo Stanton has carried stretches, and Anthony Rizzo has been steady, but there’s no replacing a guy who can single-handedly win games.
The All-Star break falls from July 15-18 this year. So we’re talking about two weeks from now for that re-imaging. After that, the team will likely have a clearer picture. Cashman hasn’t given a firm timeline because he doesn’t have one. And rib injuries can be tricky. They linger. They don’t always heal on a schedule.
For now, the Yankees are just trying to stay afloat. They’ve been doing that, barely. But if they’re going to make any kind of deep run in October, they’ll need Judge back in the lineup. That’s the obvious part. The less obvious part is whether the rib will hold up once he does return.
What happens next
We’ll get updates after the break. The team hasn’t said much more beyond that. Cashman’s comments Thursday were about as direct as he’s been on the topic in weeks. The imaging results will tell the story. Until then, the Yankees keep grinding, Judge keeps rehabbing, and everyone waits.
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