Well, New York Yankees fans, we finally have an answer for Aaron Judge’s injury. A stress fracture in one of his ribs. And it was sustained on September 19th, 2019.
… is it just me, or are the Yankees looking REALLY bad right now? Paxton, Severino, now Judge all having lingering injuries from 2019, resulting in ALL OF THEM missing part (or all) of the 2020 season.
The worst-case scenario is Judge could surgically have that problem rib removed. But what would that do for the 27-year-olds career in professional baseball?
It Doesn’t Look Good
The most notable examples of players having ribs removed were pitchers to correct Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Former Met Matt Harvey, former New York Yankees Phill Hughes and Jaime Garcia, and Chris Carpenter are all pitchers who’ve undergone the procedure. Garcia got his rib removed in 2014, and was an above .500 pitcher. Since… not so much. Chris Carpenter’s 2012 was cut short by the procedure, and he never came back. Harvey’s decline was already evident when he underwent the procedure and was only exacerbated after the surgery in 2017. And Phil Hughes would have one more season, split between Minnesota and San Diego, after having a rib removed from TOS. No record, 62 innings pitched, and an ERA above 6.
The sobering reality about this stress fracture in Judge’s rib is that it directly affects his throwing arm. Should he get the rib surgically removed, he’d have the same road back that these pitchers had. While he wouldn’t be throwing nearly as consistent throughout a game as Harvey or Hughes, he’s known for his cannon of an arm in right field. If that is at all diminished, at just 28 years old… he’s facing very limited prospects in baseball if he wants to play past 30.
My preliminary research only shows pitchers being the most frequent baseball player having ribs removed. So how this affects his swing remains murky. Most of the velocity through the strike zone Judge generates still comes from his hips and would be aided by the wrists more so than his arm. His right arm isn’t as dominant in the swing as his left. So his future as a slugger is more cemented than no.
But, why would you play him, even as a DH, if he’s not fully physically comfortable at the plate? It’s troubling that this is befalling someone as prominent, and as likable as Judge. But… this is all we know so far.