The Yankees and MLB are set to suffer a sizable blow as megastar Aaron Judge will have his longest absence from play since at least 2019.
Judge, the two-time American League Most Valuable Player and a three-time winner of the award, sustained a rib stress fracture and is out of action indefinitely. The Yankees said late Thursday that the outfielder “is expected to return at some point this season,” and he will be re-examined in four to six weeks to determine the next steps. The Yankees had feared an even-worse diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome, which would have sidelined him for the rest of the year.
Still, the Yankees, and the league overall, will be without one of its top talents and fan draws for at least the heart of the season, and likely next month’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia, too. For much of this decade, Judge has been one of MLB’s top two superstars, along with Dodgers two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, and is a major driver of attendance, viewership, and merchandise sales.
That standing was further codified at the end of last year, when Ohtani and Judge ranked first and second, respectively, among MLB jersey sales in 2025 across the Fanatics network of sites.
“It’s tough when guys get hurt, but unfortunately, it’s part of the game,” said Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole, who missed all of 2025 and the first part of this season after having Tommy John surgery. “As a team, you’ve got to figure out how to step up in those situations, and so that’s what we’ll do.”
