The New York Yankees announced Friday that outfielder Aaron Judge sustained a stress fracture of a rib on his right side and is out indefinitely. Judge, who had been playing through discomfort for several weeks, missed his first game of the season Tuesday. After undergoing an MRI that day, he later received a CT scan and X-ray that confirmed the fracture.
The Yankees said Judge will rest and undergo more scans in four to six weeks, but the team noted he is “expected to return at some point this season.”
Judge, 33, has won three of the last four American League MVP awards. Through his first 59 appearances this season, he hit .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs. In 2025, Judge hit a career- and MLB-best .331 with 53 home runs and 114 RBIs.
“He’s the best hitter in the sport and obviously what he means to us,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Thursday. “There is a void there, but we also have really good players that can pick it up too.”
Boone added: “Love the way we played the game [Thursday]. You are not replacing Aaron Judge though.”
The Yankees went 1-2 over their last three games without Judge. Jose Caballero and Max Schuemann took over in right field in those games, combining to go 2 for 10 with a home run, an RBI, a walk and two runs scored. Caballero started Tuesday and Wednesday; Schuemann played Thursday.
Judge typically slotted in at No. 2 or 3 in the Yankees’ batting order. Boone placed first baseman Ben Rice and designated hitter Paul Goldschmidt at the No. 2 and 3 spots in the last two games, behind outfielder Trent Grisham.
The Yankees (37-25) sit in second place in the American League East, a half-game behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays (36-23). They lost three of four games before Thursday’s win. They will host the last-place Boston Red Sox (26-35) at 7:05 p.m. EDT Friday in New York.