NEW YORK — New York Yankees star Aaron Judge will be absent from Tuesday’s starting lineup in the matchup against Cleveland due to a bone bruise in his upper right rib that’s causing discomfort in his right shoulder, with the possibility of missing several games.
“He’s been kind of the last couple of weeks kind of dealing with some shoulder soreness, just kind of more nagging,” manager Aaron Boone explained before the series opener against the Guardians. “Then over the weekend, the last couple of games in Sacramento, I think it became a little more than just that, where I noticed with some swings and stuff. It became a little more than just nagging. I think it was affecting him.”
According to Boone, medical examinations conducted during Monday’s off day uncovered the bruise, and Judge was set to consult with a team physician later on Tuesday.
The slugger is currently batting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs. The three-time AL MVP has managed just one home run over his past 18 contests since May 10 and broke an 11-game drought without a homer or RBI by delivering a walk-off, two-run blast in the ninth inning that secured a 2-0 victory over Tampa Bay on May 24.
Prior to that Tampa Bay game, Judge was mired in a 1-for-24 cold streak that had pushed his batting average down to .246. He had gone hitless through 15 at-bats before connecting for a single in the opening frame.
“I think probably something that’s been affecting him a little bit here recently, especially this weekend,” Boone noted. “So, hopefully, it is something that we just get calmed down here and put it behind us.”
Last season, Judge captured the batting crown with a career-best .331 average along with 53 homers and 114 RBIs across 152 games. He was sidelined for 10 games from July 26 through August 4 due to a flexor strain in his right elbow suffered during a throw home on July 22 in Toronto. He received a plasma-rich injection and avoided offseason surgery, though he didn’t return to outfield duties until September 5.
During Judge’s injury absence last year, Giancarlo Stanton covered 17 games in the outfield. Stanton has been unavailable since April 24 with a strained right calf.
For Tuesday’s game, José Caballero got his 22nd career start in right field and third since joining the team from Tampa Bay in the July 31 trade.
Judge had been in the starting lineup for 52 of New York’s initial 59 games in right field. Rookie Spencer Jones made four right field starts before being sent down on May 23, while Cody Bellinger has started two games there.
