Aaron Judge Diagnosed With Right First-Rib Stress Fracture; Will Rest and Be Rechecked in 4–6 Weeks

The New York Yankees said Aaron Judge has “been diagnosed with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side,” an injury that will sideline the team captain for rest and limited activity before another check in several weeks. In an announcement reported by MLB, the Yankees said Judge “will require a period of rest and limited activity” and “will be reimaged in approximately four to six weeks to determine level of healing and appropriate next steps.” The team added that Judge “is expected to return at some point this season.”

The update is a major one for the Yankees and for baseball more broadly because Judge is the face of the franchise and one of the sport’s biggest stars. In 59 games this season, Judge was batting .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs, according to MLB. Even with a recent dip, he remains the centerpiece of New York’s lineup.

MLB reported that Judge had been dealing with discomfort for several weeks. The issue initially was diagnosed as a bone bruise near his right rib cage, but he underwent an MRI on Tuesday at the direction of Dr. Gregory J. Pearl of Dallas, whom MLB described as a specialist in thoracic outlet syndrome management in high-performance athletes. Judge missed his first game of the 2026 season on Tuesday after reporting the discomfort during the Yankees’ series against the Athletics in West Sacramento.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Judge had been managing right-shoulder discomfort for “the last couple of weeks” and said he could not identify a single play when it began. Judge’s production had fallen off during that stretch. Since May 11, he was 14-for-68, a .206 average, with one home run, eight RBIs and 19 strikeouts, according to MLB.

The diagnosis is also notable because of Judge’s history in the same area. MLB noted that he previously suffered a stress fracture of his right first rib and a partially collapsed lung after a diving catch in September 2019. The Yankees did not characterize the current injury beyond the diagnosis and recovery timetable announced this week, but they did say they expect Judge back later this season.