Aaron Judge injury update: Yankees await rib re-imaging this week
Aaron Judge remains sidelined with a stress fracture in his first right rib, and the Yankees are re-imaging the injury during the 2026 All-Star break. ESPN insider Jeff Passan says Judge has done lower-body work but no upper-body activity or swings yet, leaving his return timeline—and New York's trade-deadline plans—unsettled. The three-time AL MVP has missed action since early June, and this week's scan is the biggest checkpoint yet on the Aaron Judge injury story.
Key Takeaways
- Judge is out with a stress fracture of his first right rib and will undergo follow-up MRI imaging during the All-Star break.
- ESPN's Jeff Passan reports Judge is doing lower-body rehab but has not resumed swings or upper-body work.
- Yankees re-imaging results could shape how aggressively New York trades before the August deadline.
- RotoWire notes the Yankees still expect Judge back this season, but no firm return date is set.
- New York is 54-42 and trails AL East-leading Tampa Bay by three games entering the second half.
What happened to Aaron Judge?
New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge has not played since early June because of a stress fracture in his first rib on the right side, according to Yahoo Sports. Instead of starting for the American League in the Midsummer Classic, he is undergoing an MRI on the injured rib during the break.
RotoWire reports the Yankees plan to reevaluate the injury over the next several days. The goal is to see whether new images show healing at the fracture site so Judge can eventually resume baseball-related activities.
What did MLB insider Jeff Passan say?
During an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" on Monday morning, Jeff Passan called this an important week for Judge and the Yankees. He said the club is finally re-imaging the rib to assess progress made since Judge landed on the injured list.
Passan added that Judge has been working on lower-body activities, but there have been no swings taken and no upper-body work at this point. Once the Yankees have a clearer sense of his timeline—which they expect to get this week—they will know how to approach the rest of the season.
Passan tied the scan directly to the August trade deadline. If Judge is coming back soon, the Yankees may push harder for upgrades. If not, their deadline posture may be lighter.
When could Aaron Judge return?
Neither Yahoo Sports nor RotoWire offers a locked-in return date. RotoWire says the Yankees insist Judge will return at some point in 2026, but his possible return remains undetermined until the MRI results are reviewed.
When Judge is cleared, RotoWire expects New York to manage his workload conservatively to limit the risk of a recurrence. Yahoo Sports notes the hope is that his comeback will not be far behind when play resumes Friday, though that depends on what the imaging shows.
Why does the Aaron Judge injury matter for the Yankees?
The absence has already reshaped the AL East race. Yahoo Sports reports the Yankees hovered around .500 since Judge went down and surrendered their division lead to the Tampa Bay Rays, who enter the break at 56-38 compared with New York's 54-42 record.
New York enters the break on a four-game winning streak after going 2-11 over the previous 13 games. When the second half opens, the Yankees face the Los Angeles Dodgers at home in the Bronx while continuing to miss Judge in the middle of the lineup.
CBS Sports frames the broader stakes in a segment on the Yankees' second-half outlook and Aaron Judge's return, with Jim Bowden breaking down the team's trade-deadline plans. Judge's health remains central to how competitive New York can be down the stretch.