New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge is set to miss an extended period after being diagnosed with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side, the team announced Thursday.
Judge will need "a period of rest and limited activity," the Yankees said in a statement, per Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. "He will be reimaged in approximately four-to-six weeks to determine the level of healing and appropriate next steps."
The Yankees expect Judge to return at some point this season.
The 34-year-old has been out of the lineup for New York's past three games. Yankees manager Aaron Boone originally said that Judge was dealing with a bone bruise in his rib and had been feeling it near his shoulder over the last few weeks.
Judge initially met with a specialist to get more clarity on his injury. On Thursday, he had the diagnosis confirmed after the Yankees sent him to an additional specialist in Dallas who focuses on vascular health and thoracic outlet syndrome.
The seven-time All-Star has been relatively healthy in recent years, outside of a flexor strain that sent him to the injured list for 10 days last summer. Judge hasn't had a prolonged IL stint since 2023, when he missed nearly two months due to a toe injury.
Thursday's news is a gut punch to a Yankees team that's been without slugger Giancarlo Stanton since late April because of a calf strain and outfielder Jasson Domínguez. Injuries have also hindered the Yankees' pitching staff, as ace Max Fried hit the IL with a bone bruise in his elbow in mid-May.
The most likely candidate to replace Judge in right field would be Spencer Jones, who's currently at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Jones, once a top prospect, made his long-awaited big-league debut last month but hit .167/.259/.167 in 10 games before being returned to Scranton. Amed Rosario, Max Schuemann, and José Caballero can also play the outfield.
Judge, the reigning AL MVP, has surpassed 50 homers in three of the last four seasons, including an AL-record 62 in 2022. He put up a .248/.375/.533 slash line with 17 homers and 38 RBIs across 59 games to start 2026.
Despite the injuries, New York heads into play Friday with a 37-25 record and sits a half-game behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.
