When the news broke that star slugger Aaron Judge suffered a stress fracture in a rib last September on a diving attempt to catch a fly ball, the New York Yankees reported that he could return in two weeks. However, that reality is far from the truth. A fracture of this nature will take at least four weeks to recover from after ample rest and recovery fully.
Doctors indicated that the fracture was about midway into its recovery process, and considering it has been five months since the injury occurred, we can estimate that Judge will need more than two weeks to resume full activity.
The New York Yankees are dealing with more than just Judge’s injury:
The latest ailment to plague the Bombers’ injury report is Gary Sanchez’s back, which started bothering him after two consecutive games behind the plate.
“He is down [Saturday]. Back to back and his back is a little sore,’’ Aaron Boone said before the Yankees faced the Pirates at LECOM Park. “There is a chance he is down [Sunday,] but I would probably expect him back to go to Clearwater [on Monday when the Yankees play the Phillies].’’
With Judge and Giancarlo Stanton projected to miss Opening Day on March 26 against the Baltimore Orioles, it now puts Sanchez in question. While I don’t think El Gary will miss any significant time due to his sore back, the Yankees will take precautions with their starting catcher.
My biggest concern is Sanchez’s durability, especially after catching for only two consecutive games and the regular season only three short weeks away. Getting into baseball shape takes time and effort, but it’s becoming apparent that the Yankees are far behind where they should be regarding stamina.
In 2019, the Yankees saw 30 players spend 39 individual stints on the injured list — they will be looking to avoid that same fate in 2020.