The Yankees faced the worst every time Aaron Judge got sidelined with injuries. Last year, he hit the IL in July, and the New York Yankees’ offense plummeted to .230. The Yankees posted a 4-6 record during Judge’s 10-day IL back then. This time, fans feared the same when the captain was benched on Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians. Manager Aaron Boone confirmed Judge is on a day-to-day basis. Further evaluation and imaging were performed, but the result was the worst fear for the Yankees.

“Yankees MVP Aaron Judge has been diagnosed with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side that will sideline him indefinitely. He will undergo more imaging tests in 4-6 weeks to determine how he’s progressing. The Yankees don’t expect the injury to be season-ending,” MLB insider Bob Nightengale shared via X.

It was initially feared that Aaron Judge was suffering from thoracic outlet syndrome, which could have ended his season. So, while Nightengale confirmed that the season-ending injury is not expected, a 4-6 week miss is a huge cost to be paid. And the worst part is that Aaron Judge will be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks, and so, the IL could get extended later.

According to the Athletic’s Chris Kirschner, Judge’s latest injury was the continuation of what he faced back in 2023. He was reportedly never fully recovered from a torn ligament in his right toe. That year, the Yankees missed Aaron Judge for 42 games, and they went from 35-25 to 54-48 in between. The Yankees missed the playoffs that year, and now, as Judge is set for another long IL, the fans are holding their breath.

“He’s the best hitter in the sport, so you know there’s a void there… But we also have really good players who can pick it up, too. I love the way we played the game today, but you’re not replacing Aaron Judge,” Boone said.

The Yankees’ concern doesn’t end here.

“This is a hard injury to return quickly from because if this fully fractures, he’s going to have a massive problem, so that’s why they have to be smart with this. This is going to definitely shut them down for at least a month. Initial guidelines are four to six weeks, but this could easily take ten to 14 weeks,” Renowned sports doctor Jesse Morse said.

According to Dr. Morse, the Yankees need to be very careful with Judge’s injury and shouldn’t rush him. But still, chances are high that Aaron Judge’s IL will extend beyond 4-6 weeks. The Yankees, meanwhile, scrambled for alternatives in replacing their captain.

It’s a challenge to replace Aaron Judge

It’s never easy to replace a 3x MVP, especially someone who slashed 53 HRs at .331 last year. Still, the Yankees are not left behind.

Reportedly, Spencer Jones is getting recalled again to add to the Yankees’ firepower. Last time, he was promoted in May but went for 4-for-24 with 12 strikeouts and failed to hit a home run. Aaron Judge’s sudden injury opened another opportunity for Jones. He has 13 homers from 43 games in the minors this season, and replicating the same in the majors would be enough for the team.

However, a single Spencer Jones would not be enough to replace Aaron Judge, and we wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankees target the trade deadline for some external help.

One name could be the Orioles’ Taylor Ward. Although he scored just 2 homers so far this season, he crushed 36 last year. So, the power is there, which the Yankees could leverage. It would be interesting to see if the Yankees’ divisional rival would agree to get the deal done by the trade deadline. Till then, internal fixes could only help New York deal with the Aaron Judge challenge.