Aaron Judge (rib) throws for first time since June

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Judge was given the green light after followup scans on his right ribs. It’s a significant step towards making it back to New York at some point in the final two months. The 34-year-old generational talent remains without a definitive return timeline and he’s likely to require several weeks to ramp-up from a physical standpoint following the lengthy layoff. Judge has been on the injured list with a stress fracture in his right ribs since early June. There should be a clearer idea of his next steps in the coming weeks.

There’s nothing new from an update standpoint except that Judge doesn’t appear poised to undergo followup imaging at any point soon. The 34-year-old generational talent has yet to be cleared to resume baseball activities as he recovers from a rib fracture that put him on the injured list back in early June. At this point, fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him back until some point in late August.

Specialist Dr. Gregory Pearl got back to the Yankees on Saturday and basically confirmed Friday’s news. “There’s healing going on, which is good, but he’s still not able to start any baseball activities or anything,” Boone told reporters. “He needs to get to a point where he’s asymptomatic, where you really start ramping up more upper-body stuff.” Boone did say that the good news was that the pain is starting to subside for Judge, and that it’s more of a dull pain than the sharp one that has bothered the slugger. Judge was moved to the 60-day injured list that won’t allow him to return until the beginning of August, but there’s a good chance he’s not back until closer to the start of September.

It’s merely a procedural move with Judge still recovering from a rib fracture that put him on the injured list back in early June. The 34-year-old generational talent underwent followup imaging earlier this week that showed continued healing, but hasn’t been cleared to resume baseball activities. There is no official timetable for his return and it looks like he won’t make it back to New York until at least mid-to-late August, even in a best-case scenario. There’s also a realistic chance his absence stretches into September. Simply put, fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him back anytime soon.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone reiterated on Friday that he believes Judge will return this season, but he remains without a definitive return timetable. The 34-year-old franchise icon told reporters that it’ll be a couple weeks before he undergoes re-imaging to determine his next steps. He remains limited to lower-body work and neck exercises, with no upper-body or overhead lifting at this juncture. He’s been on the shelf with a rib fracture since early June. It’s pure speculation at this point, but even in a best-case scenario, Judge appears unlikely to return before the middle or end of August. There’s also a realistic chance his absence stretches into September. Fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him back anytime soon.

“I don’t think we’re anticipating it’s coming back clean,” Cashman said. “I think we’re anticipating and hopeful that it’s showing the healing process.” This broadly keeps the expected timeline in line. Judge hasn’t begun baseball activities yet and figures to need some time to ramp up. Assuming the imaging comes back well enough for him to begin activities, Judge is probably on pace for a late July or early August return.

Boone added that Judge, who was initially expected to miss 4–6 weeks with a fractured rib in early June, is beginning to feel better but still hasn’t resumed baseball activities. The 34-year-old will need a couple weeks to ramp up, making a return to New York unlikely until late July or early August. There should be a clearer idea of his return timeline and next steps in a couple weeks.

He’ll be out for at least 4-6 weeks and will be re-evaluated afterwards, likely pushing his return past the All-Star break if not longer. Judge’s absence should lower runs and RBI expectations for the rest of the Yankees lineup. Spencer Jones figures to be his direct replacement in the lineup for now, at least until Jasson Dominguez is healthy. Judge had a down May while playing through this injury.

The Yankees said that Judge “is expected to return at some point this season.” Still, he’s pretty clearly done through the All-Star break at least and quite possible until August. This probably means more José Caballero in right field and Anthony Volpe at shortstop for now. Once Jasson Domínguez comes off the injured list, he could get a chance to play regularly in the outfield. It’s a significant loss for fantasy managers but it sounds like there’s a strong possibility Judge is able to return at some point in the second half.

For the third straight game, Aaron Judge (ribs) is not in the Yankees lineup. However, as of now, he is also not on the injured list. The team has sent him for additional meetings with a specialist since the bone bruise on his ribcage is in such a unique spot. The Yankees will face Boston on Friday, so no off days are coming, which means the team will likely need to decide on whether or not to put Judge on the injured list before the weekend series starts. For Thursday, Jose Caballero will play shortstop with Anthony Volpe on the bench, and Max Schuemann will play right field and bat ninth.