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Sports doc gives Aaron Judge bad news.
The New York Yankees could be facing a long-term injury to superstar slugger Aaron Judge.
Judge has been out of the lineup due to a rib injury, and the Yankees have undergone further testing to figure out the exact injury. Yet, after he missed his third straight game on Thursday, sports doctor Jesse Morse believes the injury could be season-ending.
“Aaron Judge underwent 3 different forms of imaging over the past 24 hours. You don’t do that if the injury is clear-cut and obvious. You order an MRI, X-ray and CT scan when you’re trying to nail down the exact diagnosis and get clarity,” Morse wrote on X.
“At this point, I’ll be really surprised if he doesn’t go on the IL. I expect him to miss at least 4 weeks, potentially longer. Season-ending? At this point, it has to be on the table. Hopefully it’s mild, and we get some clarity soon.”
If Judge is indeed lost for the season it would be stunning news for the Yankees and would hurt their chances of getting to the World Series. However, the sports doc does believe this is a much more major injury than New York has indicated so far.
Judge is hitting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs this season with the Yankees.
Yankees Seek More Clarity on Judge Injury
New York has yet to place Judge on the IL or give a timeline for a potential return.
However, ahead of the Yankees’ series finale against the Cleveland Guardians, Aaron Boone said the team wanted more clarity on the injury.
“They want to get as many specific images as they can to try and see exactly what we have,” Boone said. “We’re waiting on the doctor to read those, and hopefully we’ll have a final diagnosis here (on Thursday).”
Along with the rib issue, Boone said Judge has also been managing discomfort in his right shoulder for the last couple of weeks.
“He describes that he’s feeling a little bit better,” Boone said. “He’s been treating it and started some medicine. But at the same time, we’re all waiting on — what is it, what’s the course of action? That’s kind of where we all are.”
Boone, meanwhile, admits he and the staff are hopeful Judge won’t need an IL stint but at this point, everything is on the table.
“We’re hoping there’s that chance,” Boone said.
Judge is the reigning back-to-back AL MVP and has won the award three times in the last four years.
New York Has to Step Up In Judge’s Absence
With Judge out of the lineup, the Yankees will need other offensive players to step up.
The Yankees have lost both games without Judge in the lineup, and veteran starting pitcher Gerrit Cole knows the team has to step up.
“Aaron obviously means a lot to us,” Cole said. “He just plays great baseball all the time and brings great energy. It’s tough when guys get hurt, but unfortunately, it’s part of the game. As a team, you’ve got to figure out how to step up in those situations, and so that’s what we’ll do.”
The Yankees entered play on June 4 with a record of 36-25 and are one game back of the Tampa Bay Rays for the top spot in the AL East.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL, MLB, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
