Alexander Wilson
The Yankees are about to get the Aaron Judge update everyone has been waiting on, even if the answer still has to come from a scan instead of a lineup card.
According to Chris Kirschner, Judge will get re-imaged during the All-Star break as he works back from a stress fracture in his first right rib. The timing lines up with the four-to-six-week window the team gave after placing him on the injured list.
Captain back soon? Maybe, but the scan is the real separator here. If the bone is healing the way the Yankees need, the conversation can finally move from waiting around to building him back up. If the image still looks messy, the whole thing stays uncomfortable.
The scan matters more than the optimism
Judge had 17 homers, 38 RBIs and a .908 OPS across 59 games before the injury, per his MLB player page. Even with the missed time, he remains the one bat on the roster who changes the shape of every matchup around him.
The Yankees have gotten real production from Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger, and Trent Grisham has given them more than expected, but nobody replaces Judge. Pitchers attack the lineup differently when he is in it. Everyone else gets a little more room to breathe.
A same-day injury update also noted that Judge is expected to play again at some point this season, with imaging during the break set to determine how the rib is healing. Yankee fans wanted that line, but it still leaves the hard part sitting right in front of the medical staff.
The Yankees cannot rush the only answer they need
There is always a temptation to see the words All-Star break and start picturing Judge walking right back into the middle of the order. The Yankees should not treat it that way. A clear scan would be a step, not the entire rehab.
He still has to ramp up, see velocity, prove the rib can handle baseball movement, and get through the normal soreness checks that come with an injury like this. The Yankees need the actual Judge, not a version trying to protect one side of his body while the offense begs for a rescue.
The good news is that the next checkpoint is finally close. The bad news is that the checkpoint has to do real work. If the imaging comes back clean enough, the Yankees can start dreaming a little. If not, the captain watch drags deeper into the second half.
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