New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone delivered an ominous Aaron Judge update before Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians.
Judge, who has played in all 59 games this season, was conspicuously absent from Tuesday's lineup. Boone revealed that a nagging injury caused the MVP slugger's absence.
Per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, Boone told reporters that Judge has experienced shoulder soreness for weeks. The issue became "more than that" during the weekend's series against the Athletics, and imaging showed that Judge has a bone bruise.
"Hopefully, we’ve avoided something serious," Boone said. "But we'll have an idea more when he meets with the doctor and then as the next couple of days unfold."
Judge stuck in uncharacteristic slump
© Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images.
The shoulder issue could explain why Judge hasn't looked like himself lately.
Judge crushed his 15th home run of the season on May 10, but he's gone deep just two times in the last 18 games. His OPS has dropped from 1.043 to .907 during that stretch.
Furthermore, Judge is batting an anemic .178/.269/.289 over the last 15 days and went 4-for-22 with no home runs last week.
A career .291/.411/.611 hitter, Judge is currently batting .248/.375/.533 after a mundane May. While the 34-year-old remains highly productive, it's a noticeable dip from a superstar who's won three MVP awards in the last four seasons.
Judge only missed 14 combined games in 2024 and 2025, but injuries plagued the 6-foot-7 behemoth earlier in his career. The outfielder appeared in 63 percent of New York's games (242 of 384) from 2018 to 2020.
How would Yankees manage without Judge?
Although Judge hasn't hit to his Herculean standards, the Yankees lineup has remained one of baseball's fiercest.
The Bronx Bombers enter Tuesday night's game with an MLB-leading 86 home runs, and their .770 OPS ranks second to the Los Angeles Dodgers. With 17 home runs and a .306/.397/.658 slash line, Ben Rice could try to seize Judge's MVP crown.
Jose Caballero is starting in right field on Tuesday, but the Yankees have other options if Judge needs to go on the injured list. Jasson Dominguez could begin a rehab assignment later this week, and the Yankees could give Spencer Jones another chance after the top prospect struggled in a 10-game cup of coffee last month.
