NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees star Aaron Judge remained sidelined Thursday for his third consecutive game as the team continues to evaluate a bone bruise on one of his right ribs that has resulted in shoulder discomfort.
“I absolutely expect something in the next couple of hours,” manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees concluded a three-game series with the Cleveland Guardians. “He went for more testing today just because he’s got edema there. So, they want to get (the most) specific images they can to try and see exactly what we have.”
Judge received a CT scan Thursday morning and had undergone an MRI scan earlier this week during a consultation with a medical specialist. The rib bruise was initially discovered during testing conducted on the team’s day off Monday.
“I’m obviously not a doctor, I don’t know how it all works, but there’s a lot of people involved in trying to make sure we get the right diagnosis,” Boone said.
Judge previously dealt with a stress fracture in one of his right ribs in March 2020. That injury stemmed from diving for a ball in September 2019, though Judge avoided missing games due to the pandemic-delayed 2020 season.
Currently batting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs, the three-time AL MVP has managed just one homer over his past 18 contests since May 10. He broke an 11-game streak without a homer or RBI with a walk-off two-run blast on May 24 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Prior to facing Tampa Bay, Judge was mired in a 1-for-24 stretch that had lowered his batting average to .246. He had gone hitless in 15 consecutive at-bats before collecting a single in the opening inning.
Last season, Judge captured the batting crown with a career-best .331 average alongside 53 homers and 114 RBIs across 152 games. He sat out 10 games from July 26-Aug. 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 requiring surgery during the offseason.
During Judge’s absence last year, Giancarlo Stanton appeared in 17 outfield games. Stanton has been unavailable since April 24 with a strained right calf and began taking live batting practice Wednesday, although he won’t join New York’s upcoming road series.
José Caballero has started the opening two games against Cleveland and has made four right field starts since his acquisition from Tampa Bay at the July 31 trade deadline. Max Schuemann made his first career right field start Thursday.
Judge had started 52 of New York’s initial 59 games in right field. Rookie Spencer Jones made four right field starts before being optioned May 22, while Cody Bellinger has started two games there.
