Aaron Judge’s Rib Scan Shows Some Healing but Not Cleared for Baseball Activities

Aaron Judge’s latest scan showed progress, but not enough for the New York Yankees star to resume baseball activities.

According to an MLB.com report published Friday, re-imaging of Judge’s fractured right first rib showed “some healing, but not enough” for him to be cleared. The report described the result of the imaging, taken Wednesday, as positive but still insufficient for baseball activity clearance.

That leaves Judge on the injured list, where MLB.com said he has been since June 5, and extends uncertainty around when the Yankees’ captain can begin working his way back. The club is waiting on the opinion of one more doctor before deciding how Judge should progress in the coming weeks, including whether he can begin upper-body workouts. The Yankees also plan to re-image Judge again before clearing him for baseball activities.

Even with the delay, Judge said he still expects to return this season. “I don’t see why I wouldn’t,” Judge said, according to MLB.com.

The update is the first substantive checkpoint since Judge was diagnosed in early June with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side. At the time, the Yankees said he would rest and be re-imaged in about four to six weeks, a timeline that made this week’s scan a key step in determining how quickly he could advance.

Manager Aaron Boone had signaled on June 30 that Judge was still not close to baseball work, even as the team continued to target August as a possible return window. “The feedback this week has been good … He’s certainly not able to do any baseball activities yet,” Boone said then, according to MLB.com. Boone also said at the time that Judge was “a couple weeks” away from re-imaging, while continuing lower-body work.

Judge’s absence remains a major issue for the Yankees because of what he provides in the middle of the lineup. Before the injury, the three-time MVP was hitting .248 with a .375 on-base percentage and a .533 slugging percentage, with 17 home runs and a .908 OPS in 59 games.