Aaron Judge is not a regular guy visiting the IL, but when he visits, the Yankees struggle badly. They struggled significantly during Aaron Judge’s IL stint in late July 2025, posting a 4-6 record without their captain. During his 10-day absence due to a right elbow flexor strain, the team’s offense scored just .230. So, the Bleacher Creatures know what it means to miss Judge, and they are facing the same as the Yankees captain is benched on Tuesday against the Guardians.

“Aaron Judge is out of the lineup today due to shoulder soreness. He had imaging last night, and the Yankees are hopeful that it is a day-to-day situation,” SNY Yankees shared via X.

Initially, there was no update about Aaron Judge’s injury, and it seemed the Yankees offered an extra day off to their captain. However, things changed after manager Aaron Boone’s latest revelation.

“He’s been, kind of, the last couple of weeks, dealing with some shoulder soreness, just kind of nagging,” Aaron Boone said. “And then over the weekend, the last couple of games in Sacramento, I think it became a little more than that, where I noticed on some swings and stuff… So, we got some imaging last night. We think overall good news, showing a bone bruise. He’s going to meet with the doctor tonight, so hopefully, a day-to-day situation. Could be a few days, or it could be longer. I don’t know for sure.”

So, Aaron Judge is not hitting the IL, but surely missing the next few games. “Judge is to meet with the team doctors today. Boone described the injury as more in the right clavicle area. Said could be a few days … or longer depending on doctor’s report,” MLB insider Joel Sherman shared.

That comes as the worst news possible for the Yankees fans amid Judge’s ongoing struggle. Aaron Judge finished May with an .805 OPS, which is much lower than his career 1.022 OPS. Moreover, Judge played 28 games last month but could score only 5 homers out of that, with a .243 average. Since his homer against the Rays on May 24, he has yet to score another.

The Yankees’ Tuesday lineup has Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Jose Caballero in the outfield. Ben Rice takes up the DH role while Austin Wells goes back to his catcher duties. But we are not sure if that could save the Yankees’ dwindling offense from the brink of collapse.

The Yankees are currently slipping in their offense. They are now ranked 13th in terms of average (.243). And the worst part is their expanding IL. Giancarlo Stanton is on a 10-day IL with a right calf strain, and his return is delayed. Jasson Dominguez is on a 10-day IL with a sprained left AC joint following a violent collision with the outfield wall. Now, after Aaron Judge’s absence, we fear about what the Yankees’ numbers at the plate would look like.

Enough for the Yankees fans to hit the panic button.

The Yankees fans are left hopeless without Aaron Judge

Fans can’t help but fear for the team’s biggest hope being missed. “Probably injured it carrying this freaking team for so long,” one fan said. The recent game against the Rays proved this statement. Both teams were deadlocked in a scoreless pitching duel heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. With a runner on base, Judge broke his temporary home run drought by crushing a dramatic, two-run walk-off home run deep into right-center field. Because the Yankees’ offense had failed to score all afternoon, Judge accounted for 100% of the team’s runs with one swing, securing a 2-0 win.

The longest-running engine tends to have frequent wear and tear, and Aaron Judge is no exception. “I see an IL stint because they’re not going to play around with it. Day to Day is just bulls—,” another fan said. “Put him on the IL, why tempt fate,” one user agreed.

Fans recall Aaron Judge’s injury back in 2023. Judge reportedly made a running catch against the concrete base of the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium, visibly shaking up his right foot. Boone initially minimized the severity, suggesting it was minor foot soreness and listing Judge as “day-to-day.”  However, further tests revealed that Aaron Judge had actually torn the ulnar collateral ligament in his right big toe, causing a two-month absence.

Hopefully, this time, there won’t be anything like that. “This is gonna be till the All-Star break, I’m sure of it,” one fan suggests the worst.

“Collapse begins,” the biggest worry of any Yankees fan. After that 2023 mishap, the Yankees failed to secure a postseason berth, which was an unreal downfall from their contention with Aaron Judge in the lineup. Let’s now see what’s waiting for the Yankees this time.