When the New York Yankees last penciled Aaron Judge into their lineup on May 31, they were the American League’s best team by run differential (+98) and second in the standings to the Tampa Bay Rays (36-20) with three games in hand (36-23).
Ever since Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his ribs, the difference has been obvious — in the lineup, if not in the standings.
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The Yankees entered their June 30 game against the Detroit Tigers with a 12-13 record in Judge’s absence. The injury hasn’t cost the Yankees in the standings — the Rays are 12-13 over the same stretch — but the Yankees’ minus-1 run differential suggests their mediocre record is accurate. They miss their MVP.
Manager Aaron Boone offered slight optimism June 30 when he told reporters that Judge has “started to feel better,” although he hasn’t been cleared to resume baseball activity.
Earlier Tuesday, Boone told the Talkin’ Yanks podcast that Judge is not due for follow-up imaging for some time.
“It’s probably a couple weeks still from reimaging,” Boone said. “They’ll determine when they feel like he’s doing stuff that [says], ‘Alright, let’s go reimage it now.’ We’re not at that point yet. He’s doing some lower-body stuff now in the weight room and moving better. I think he’s feeling a lot better this week, anyway.”
Judge slashed .243/.368/.437 in May, with a slugging percentage closer to the MLB average (.396) than his career mark (.611). If that wasn’t enough proof something was wrong, Judge was eventually diagnosed with a fractured rib — likely the result of a diving play in Houston on April 26.
In 2025, Judge led the American League in batting average (.331), on-base percentage (.457) and slugging percentage (.688). His May numbers hardly justified playing through the pain any longer.
If the Yankees can continue to tread water in the division, their cautious approach with Judge will be justified. Although their slugger’s MVP streak is certainly over, his season might not be.
That alone should give the Yankees reason for hope.
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