The Yankees have survived without Aaron Judge, but they have clearly slipped. New York was 36-23 through May 31, his last game, and just 40-35 since. More than three months later, their captain is still out, and the Yankees have yet to prove they can be the same threat without him.
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Despite sitting comfortably in the playoff race, the Yankees’ offense has become a real concern. That has made Judge’s return timeline their biggest question entering the final stretch, and Ken Rosenthal has now provided the clearest update yet.
“The picture is getting clearer,” Ken Rosenthal told the Fox Sports host when he asked him about more clarity on the 34-year-old’s return. “Once this series is over, Judge will accompany the Yankees on their six-game West Coast trip.”
“[Judge] could return sometime on the subsequent homestand, and it’s still undecided whether he will indeed require a rehab assignment in between.”
Skipping a rehab assignment would be unusual, but Judge has done it before. In 2023, he missed 42 games with a torn ligament in his right big toe after crashing into the outfield fence at Dodger Stadium.
Instead of playing minor-league games, Judge built himself back through live batting practice and simulated games at the Yankees’ Tampa complex, where he took at-bats, ran the bases, and played defense.
The Yankees even scripted game-like situations to test his movement before activating him directly for their series in Baltimore.
Judge had also taken four or five at-bats in one simulated game, homered, ran the bases, and played five innings defensively before the Yankees cleared him to return without a traditional rehab stint.
Given how crucial the time is now, it wouldn’t be a gamble they might consider. And the captain himself isn’t far from the idea.
“If I tell them I’m ready to go play, I think we’re ready to go play,” Judge told Fox Sports during the Houston Astros series. “I’m not a pitcher, I’m a position player. And I can get my reps down here in the cage. I’m in every game. I’m sitting there in the dugout watching every game, feeling the environment, feeling the energy. So I don’t think there’s going to be much of a difference.”
MLB currently has advanced pitching machines, and Aaron Judge believes that they might be enough for him to get back in action. But his manager is trying not to feel overconfident about him.
“He said that to me, too,” Aaron Boone admitted. “If and when we get to that point, we’ll work through all that.”
Judge has been suffering from a stress fracture in his right first rib. He made his last appearance for the Pinstripes on May 31.
He had been playing with some discomfort for over a month before that. Tt got to a point where the Yankees had to put him on the 10-day IL. But it was worse than what they had expected, and the recovery took longer.
They had to move him to a 60-day IL. The doctors recently cleared him for outdoor running, and Judge even started doing baseball exercises. The 8x MLB All-Star has been with the team during his recovery, and he will travel with them for their road trips in Los Angeles and San Diego.
And Judge is not the only player dealing with a stubborn rib issue this season. Marlins reliever Andrew Nardi was shut down in May with a significant stress reaction in his left rib after dealing with discomfort for weeks, and Miami initially expected him to miss around three months.
Rosenthal said that he might reclaim his spot on the roster as soon as their next homestand, which starts September 8 against the Colorado Rockies.
But the biggest question, as the insider pointed out, is “whether the Yankees will want him to build up in game conditions and get his legs under him before returning to major league action.”
Yankees’ offensive struggle might be reason enough
New York is firmly sitting 2nd in the AL East with a 77-59 record.
They are 9.0 games ahead in the Wild Card race. This doesn’t look like there are any huge concerns.
But a closer look reveals that the Yankees are the third-worst team in MLB with a .230 batting average.
Their pitching, on the other hand, has been the savior. With a 3.23 ERA (best in the league), they have been able to maintain their position.
But it might not be enough in the postseason. That’s where Aaron Judge comes in.
Before he was sidelined with injury, the captain was batting at .248 with a .907 OPS.
The Yankees had a .243 batting average back then.
That’s why ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith mentioned that the team doesn’t look as formidable as it used to be with Judge.
Notably, their offensive slump hasn’t been because of Judge only. Key hitters like Cody Bellinger (recently returned) and Giancarlo Stanton have been on the IL as well.
Meanwhile, players like Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ben Rice haven’t been able to continue the fireworks.
That’s why the Yankees are eagerly waiting for Judge to return. They might not face huge challenges in their remaining regular-season games.
But October will be a whole different level. Hence, Judge skipping his rehab assignment might not be too unusual.
