Yankees’ Aaron Judge sidelined with rib stress fracture, season return expected

The New York Yankees announced on Thursday night that outfielder Aaron Judge has been diagnosed with a stress fracture of the right first rib. The three-time American League MVP is expected to return at some point during the current season, though the club will not have a definitive timeline for his reintegration until further imaging is conducted in four to six weeks.

Judge missed three consecutive games while undergoing a battery of diagnostic tests, including MRI, CT scans, and X-rays, to determine the cause of discomfort that had hampered him for an extended period. The medical evaluation involved multiple specialists, including Dr Gregory Pearl, a vascular surgery specialist based in Dallas.

Initial concerns centred on the possibility of thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition that would have likely sidelined Judge for the remainder of the year. However, the diagnosis of a stress fracture offers a more favourable prognosis, with the Yankees stating in their official announcement that Judge is expected to return before the season concludes.

The injury marks a recurrence of rib issues for Judge, who was previously diagnosed with a stress fracture in one of his right ribs in March 2020. That earlier injury stemmed from diving for a ball in September 2019 but did not result in missed games due to the delay of the 2020 MLB season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the shortened 2020 campaign, a right calf strain limited Judge to 28 games, during which he recorded a .257/.336/.554 slash line and nine home runs.

In the current season, Judge has appeared in 59 games, batting .248 with 17 home runs and an 0.907 OPS. The Yankees will reassess his healing progress in the coming weeks to determine the next steps in his recovery and management plan.