Aaron Judge was absent from the Yankees’ lineup after New York manager Aaron Boone said the star had a bone bruise near his right shoulder—then the team clarified imaging showed the issue is a bone bruise to his rib. The next steps depend on a meeting with tea
Aaron Judge didn’t take his spot in the Yankees lineup Tuesday, and the explanation moved in real time—from the field to the training room—leaving New York to reshape its outfield plan on the fly.
Before the game against the Cleveland Guardians. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Judge has a bone bruise near his right shoulder and that this would be the first game he has been out of the Yankees lineup this season. The sequence quickly tightened: the team later clarified that the imaging revealed a bone bruise to Judge’s rib. not his shoulder. Even with the correction. the effect on Judge’s daily routine remained familiar—he feels the discomfort in the shoulder. and it’s not the first time he’s had an issue with his right ribs.
Judge underwent imaging Monday, and Boone described the injury as a “nagging issue.” He said Judge could be back in a few days, but the Yankees would not set a firm timeline until Judge meets with team doctors later Tuesday.
For the Yankees, the decision doesn’t just change who plays—it exposes how thin the margin is. With Jasson Dominguez and Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list, Tuesday’s opponent isn’t the only challenge. Boone said he would have utility infielder Jose Caballero in right field for Judge.
There’s also a reminder of how quickly openings can disappear: Spencer Jones, who had been called up last month, was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton on May 22 after struggling at the plate.
Judge’s status matters not only because he’s the captain, but because his production has stayed steady through the season’s early stretch. Judge, 34, is hitting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI through the Yankees’ first 59 games. He’s slugging .533 with an .907 OPS.
On the record, Boone tried to balance caution with optimism. “Hopefully, we’ve avoided something serious. But we’ll have an idea more when he meets with the doctor and then as the next couple of days unfold,” Boone told reporters in the Bronx.
The Yankees aren’t walking into this blind. Judge has a right-rib injury history that dates back to the 2019 postseason. when he played through a partially collapsed lung and a stress fracture of his first right rib. He suffered the injury on a diving catch attempt on an Albert Pujols fly ball on Sept. 18 and received pain injections to get through the playoffs. The fracture wasn’t diagnosed until March 2020. after Judge complained of shoulder soreness during spring training. and he missed all of the first part of the COVID-19 interrupted spring training in 2020 with the issue.
That history gives Tuesday’s meeting with team doctors extra weight. The imaging already pointed the team to a rib bone bruise rather than a shoulder bruise, but the timing of Judge’s return still depends on how he fares after he meets with the medical staff and how the next couple of days unfold.
Aaron Judge Yankees Cleveland Guardians rib bone bruise Aaron Boone Jose Caballero Jasson Dominguez Giancarlo Stanton Spencer Jones MLB injury update