Aaron Judge Addresses Injured List Placement With Determination
May 21, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts after making the third out in the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
May 21, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts after making the third out in the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
The Yankees placed Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list on June 5. Later scans showed a stress fracture in his right first rib, pushing his expected return to August.
Now the Yankees captain has finally shared his thoughts on the injury in an interview with Esquire. “It’s tough being on the injured list,” said Aaron Judge, but he remains optimistic.
"We’ve got a lot of good trainers, a lot of good staff helping me get back up there. But the boys are kicking butt right now, so we've got to keep that rolling," he told Esquire.
Despite the positivity, Judge’s return timeline remains uncertain. According to CBS Sports, the best-case scenario for his comeback will be late July or mid-August.
May 27, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) warms up prior to a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
May 27, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) warms up prior to a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
The Yankees front office has expressed that Judge will have to rest at least 4-6 weeks before being re-evaluated. On top of that, he will likely need another 2-3 weeks of rehab assignments before making his official comeback.
The good news is that the Yankees skipper believes Aaron Judge is making steady progress toward his return.
"We just haven't put a timeline on it because we don't want to do that and miss the target. I think there's pretty strong confidence that he will be back and fully healthy," Boone said as per Clutch Points' June 10 report.
That said, some experts believe the team should consider a trade for a replacement.
Experts Believe Yankees Must Act Fast After Aaron Judge Setback
Even without Aaron Judge, the Yankees' lineup continues to hold its ground. They've won 9 out of their last 13 matches without the captain, including a series win vs. Cleveland.
However, as reports suggested that Judge could be sidelined for a month or longer, some believe the Yankees' front office should bring in a replacement.
“There’s really no good time to lose Aaron Judge, but for the Yankees, this is probably the time it hurts the least to endure an extended absence from the game's most devastating offensive force,” ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle wrote.
“If they do (make a trade), then it's still about October, and for that part of the calendar, they might look at adding another righty bat, perhaps a third baseman and, certainly, some bullpen help.”
Spencer Jones has handled himself well in Aaron Judge's absence, but can he show consistency? That's the question that remains unanswered.
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Written by
Suryakant Das
Edited by
Sagnik Bagchi