The New York Yankees received tough news this past Friday when it was determined that their star right fielder, Aaron Judge of Linden, California, would be out a minimum of four to six weeks with a broken rib according to Anthony Franco of mlbtraderumors.com. It is believed that Judge broke his rib while diving for a baseball against the Texas Rangers on April 27 according to Ian Casselberry of Yahoo! Sports.
This means that Judge played 30 games with the broken rib before it was determined he needed to go on the injury list. It is expected that he will not represent the American League or the Yankees at the 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game as a result of the injury.
The loss of Judge could have a serious impact on the Yankees in the short term. There is no doubt that Judge is an impact player. Just last season he reached 50 home runs for the fourth time in his career. Judge also led the American League with 137 runs, 124 walks, and 372 total bases, and the Major Leagues in batting average (.331), one base percentage (.457), and slugging percentage (.688).
In 2026, Judge is batting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 runs batted in. During 59 games, 214 at bats and 261 plate appearances, he has scored 43 runs, and had 53 hits, 10 doubles, five stolen bases, 42 walks, 114 total bases, and one sacrifice fly, with an on base percentage of .375 and a slugging percentage of .533. Judge’s sacrifice fly came in a 7-0 Yankees win over the Kansas City Royals on May 27. Judge also had two hone runs in an 11-10 Yankees win over the Los Angeles Angels on April 13.
Since Judge has been out of the Yankees lineup regularly starting June 1, the Yankees have had a record of three wins and three losses. New York is tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the American League East.
