Aaron Judge’s stress fracture in his ribs is the latest injury setback for the New York Yankees, and it’s still spring training.
New York Yankees star right fielder Aaron Judge has a stress fracture in his ribs and will rest for two weeks. MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reported the injury is to Judge’s first right rib. Per manager Aaron Boone, the injury could date back to an outfield dive Judge made last September.
As former Yankees great Yogi Berra once said, it’s déjà vu all over again. Judge is just the latest Yankee to go on the shelf after injuries ravaged the team in 2019. Currently, fellow outfield slugger Giancarlo Stanton is recovering from a calf strain.
On the pitching staff, James Paxton had back surgery last month and won’t be ready until May at the earliest. Luis Severino recently had Tommy John surgery and is out for the season.
And yet, it’s still too early for Yankees fans to panic. Aaron Judge is a big loss, but it will still be spring training two weeks from now. He’ll still certainly open the season on the injured list, but here’s hoping he recovers well enough in two weeks that he can join his teammates soon.
In the meantime, Mike Tauchman and Clint Frazier can surely expect to see extended reps in right field while Judge recovers. This means Miguel Andujar could be the Opening Day left fielder as the Yankees enter the season as the 2020 World Series favorites.
While the Yankees are still a solid bet to win the World Series, Judge’s chances at winning the MVP are certainly going to take a hit with this new injury news.
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