“Never Thought of Not Playing This Year,” Aaron Judge Shares Positive Update Regarding His Rib Injury

Aaron Judge has been out of action since early June following a rib fracture which he reportedly suffered during a game in late April.

“Never Thought of Not Playing This Year,” Aaron Judge Shares Positive Update Regarding His Rib Injury

Aaron Judge (Image via Imago)

The New York Yankees finally got some positive news regarding Aaron Judge this week. Before their game on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, the 3-time MVP expressed that he would return this season and that he never thought of not playing again this year.

Judge has been out of action since early June. He suffered a rib fracture while making a diving play against the Houston Astros in late April.

The outfielder played through the pain barrier in May. The injury had some effect on his hitting as he went 11 games without a home run.

During the series against the Athletics, he felt more discomfort in his upper body. After missing the series against the Cleveland Guardians, an MRI revealed he had fractured a rib and would be out for a while.

He was then placed on the 60-day injured list. Many were left concerned as rumors started circulating that he was done for the year.

That will not be the case, though. Recent reports suggested that Judge was given the green light to resume light rehab work. A few weeks back, he informed the media that his rib had shown a little healing.

On Wednesday, he would speak to the reporters in New York. During this, the Yankees captain claimed he would be back this year and play again.

I’ll be back this season. I don’t know why I wouldn’t be. That was always the plan, to come back sooner than later, definitely. I never had a thought of not playing this year.

Aaron Judge said as per SNY

In Judge’s absence, the Yankees’ offense has taken a major hit. Last week, reports emerged that the team had posted the lowest batting average of any team in the league since he got injured.

He is also one of the 3 top sluggers the AL West side is missing at the moment. In April, the team lost Giancarlo Stanton through a calf strain. Then last week, they suffered another injury blow as Cody Bellinger went down.

The former National League MVP suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain and would be out for 4 to 6 weeks. The outfielder, who had struggled a bit in June, had started to turn his form around a bit before getting injured.

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Aaron Judge still has no date for return

Aaron Judge claimed that he will be back this year. The big question now is, when? When will he return? Unfortunately, the New York Yankees captain still has no date for his return.

Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge (Image via X/@TalkinYanks)

The Yankees were initially expecting him to return around September. However, since the start, Judge has refused to put any date on this comeback.

On Wednesday, the 34-year-old simply claimed that there is progress on his healing and that there is still some time left for the season to end.

I got nothing for you on that yet. I just got the scan yesterday. The minute they said, ‘alright, we’re going to start running,’ I said, ‘okay, I’ll see you outside.

Aaron Judge said as per SNY

The positive thing for the Yankees is that their superstar will return. Only time will tell when he gets back to regular action. For the season, Judge has a .248/.375/.533 slash line with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs.

Since his last appearance, the team has made some additions to their offense. They brought in Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos before the trade deadline from the Washington Nationals and the San Francisco Giants, respectively.

Apart from that, they promoted top prospect George Lombard Jr. to the major leagues. In doing so, they demoted Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez to Triple-A.

Speaking of the game on Wednesday, the Yankees lost 3-1 and suffered a series loss. With the Boston Red Sox winning again, the gap between the two rivals is down to 1 game.

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