Ever since Aaron Judge suffered a stress fracture of the first rib on the right side, the New York Yankees haven’t been the same. Their batting average has stayed well below .250 in his absence. Both the clubhouse and the Yankees Nation have been eagerly waiting for his return and were hoping to have some good news this weekend. While Judge’s recovery has shown some encouraging signs, it’s not the breakthrough New York had hoped for. 

“He (the doctor) reached out last night. Agreeing with the doctor. Obviously, healing is going on, which is good, but [he’s] still not able to start any baseball activities,” manager Aaron Boone said on Saturday, per SNY Yankees. “You need to get to a point where he’s asymptomatic to where you really start ramping up more upper body stuff.”

The Yankees captain underwent a re-imaging on July 15, and it showed some healing. But according to the doctors, it wasn’t enough. Boone admitted that the pain is gradually subsiding. Instead of the sharp pain from earlier, it has now turned into something a bit dull. While that is good news, Aaron Judge has been moved from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL. 

He played his last game for the Yankees on May 31. And the Yankees had a 36-23 record at that point. Since then, they have had an 18-20 record. Currently, they are 23rd in the league with a .237 AVG. True, the move to the 60-day injured list is a procedural, not a setback. But the numbers raise some real concerns, even though they are not entirely on Judge alone.

The 34-year-old mentioned on Friday that he feels “10 times better.” But he admitted that he has been limited to lower-body work and some neck exercises. Judge hasn’t been able to start any process regarding upper-body, and he is avoiding weight-lifting as well. 

“It’s definitely a positive sign that we’re seeing some healing,” he added. 

Both Judge and Boone remain positive that they will have genuine progress. And they expect a return by August. But with the amount of time it has taken, it might take longer. Meanwhile, the Yankees’ rough stretch hasn’t been the most encouraging factor for them. They entered the second half of the season on a four-game winning streak. But that only came after a 5-15 stretch that took the levels of concern to their peak. And they have just lost their series opener (2-1) to the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The Yankees are 54-43, sitting below the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. They are well-positioned in the Wild Card race. But they need their biggest gun before the stretch gets rougher. And most importantly, the New York Yankees must have Aaron Judge fully fit for their postseason run.