tamil yogi
What Aaron Judge injury means for Yankees, AL East, MLB trade deadlineJorge CastilloClose
ESPN Staff Writer
SweetSpot blogger
Is it time to panic in the Bronx?
The New York Yankees will be without three-time MVP Aaron Judge for an extended period of time after the team declared he is headed to the injured list with a right rib injury.
Just how severe is the injury? What does it mean for the Yankees’ division — and World Series — hopes? And who most needs to step up while the superstar is on the shelf?
Here is what we know — and don’t know — about Judge’s injury, and how it could impact the rest of the Yankees’ season, the AL East race and the upcoming trade deadline.
Based on the Yankees’ description, it sounds similar to the injury Judge dealt with after diving for a ball in September 2019. He was eventually diagnosed with a stress fracture in one of his right ribs and a partially collapsed lung the following spring training, but he didn’t miss any games because the pandemic delayed the start of the 2020 season until July.
Editor’s Picks
The Yankees reported Judge will be re-imaged in four to six weeks, which means the earliest he could be cleared to return to baseball activities is in four weeks. From there, he would likely need another couple of weeks to ramp up and possibly go on rehab assignment. The chances of him returning before the All-Star break are seemingly slim to none.
The good news is Judge avoided the worst and is expected to return this season. Hours before the diagnosis was declared, the Yankees verified Judge was evaluated by Dr. Gregory Pearl, a thoracic outlet syndrome management specialist in Dallas. The Yankees at the very least thought it prudent to ensure Judge wasn’t dealing with a thoracic outlet issue. That would’ve been catastrophic, costing Judge the remainder of the season and effectively dashing the Yankees’ World Series hopes. — Jorge Castillo
For now, the likeliest answer is Spencer Jones, the 25-year-old power-hitting prospect the Yankees are calling back up Friday to replace Judge on the roster. Jones, who can play all three outfield positions, started three games in right field during his first big league stint last month. A former pitcher, Jones possesses a strong arm and more than enough speed.
The longer-term outlook could include Cody Bellinger shifting from left field to right field once Jasson Dominguez comes off the injured list and — much less likely — Giancarlo Stanton logging innings out there. Stanton replaced Judge in right field when Judge was dealing with a flexor strain in his right elbow last season. But Stanton would be returning from a calf strain — he just started taking live at-bats this week after more than a month on the injured list — and the Yankees would likely prefer to have Stanton not play the field.
Other options include Jose Caballero, Max Schuemann, and Amed Rosario. Caballero started in right field Tuesday and Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians before Schuemann got the start in Thursday’s series finale. — Castillo
At least the Yankees already have another lineup anchor in Ben Rice, who trails only Yordan Alvarez in OPS among all major league hitters. So Rice will have to keep raking. The Yankees lead the majors in home runs with one more than the Braves, although Rice and Judge had accounted for 38% of the team’s total.
Two players who will need to step it up here: Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham, who combined for 65 home runs in 2025 but are on pace to combine for just 37 in 2026. Their drops in the power department are a key reason the Yankees’ overall OPS against right-handed pitchers has declined 43 points from last season and why they’re 23-19 against right-handed starters compared to 14-6 against left-handers. — David Schoenfield
Absolutely. Yes, the Yankees enter Friday trailing the Tampa Bay Rays by a half-game in the division, but New York’s plus-93 run differential compared to the Rays’ plus-5 is a better indicator of the relative strengths of the two teams. Even if you remove Judge’s 17 home runs, the Yankees have outhomered the Rays, 72 to 51. The Rays are 9-2 in one-run games while the Yankees are 7-12, both figures that are likely to start turning in different directions.
What it’s really like facing Aaron JudgeWe asked everyone from MLB aces and former college rivals to a tech salesman for their best tales of squaring off against the Yankees slugger. Story »
Then there’s the starting pitching. Unless you think Tampa Bay’s Nick Martinez is going to post a 2.29 ERA all season — and he just got shelled in his last start — the Yankees have a big edge, with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon both in the rotation and providing depth behind Cam Schlittler, even with Max Fried on the injured list. Obviously, Judge’s timetable is unknown, but FanGraphs gives the Yankees a 69% chance of winning the division compared to 24% for the Rays.
And the rest of the division? None of the Orioles, Blue Jays or Red Sox show any signs of going on a major run, with the Blue Jays and Red Sox still struggling to score runs and the Orioles struggling to keep runs off the scoreboard. It’s Yankees versus Rays for now. — Schoenfield
It could accelerate the Yankees’ efforts to acquire an accomplished hitter to lengthen the lineup, but adding an outfielder isn’t imperative given their in-house options and Judge’s prognosis. The Yankees’ more obvious areas for offensive upgrades remain on the left side of the infield and catcher. The problem is extracting a quality bat at this point on the calendar — with so many underachieving clubs still unwilling to pull the plug on the season — could prove difficult. — Castillo
✔ today silver rate
✔ 2026 winter olympics
✔ chat gtp
✔ silver rate today
✔ silver rate today live
✔ 2030 winter olympics
Sports
