Yankees Star Dealing with Bone Bruise, Will Get Look from Specialist

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge missed a game for the first time all season on Tuesday night. Manager Aaron Boone kept him out of the lineup due to a bone bruise in Judge’s right ribcage, which has been bothering him for a couple of weeks. José Caballero filled in for him in right field. According to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, Judge will see a specialist for additional testing to determine the next steps. He is currently listed as day-to-day.

Aaron Judge Bone Bruise to be Evaluated by Specialist

While Judge’s numbers in 2026 are not horrific, they’re a far cry from his last two MVP seasons in 2024 and 2025. In 59 games, he is slashing .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI. Judge’s uncharacteristically slow start could prevent him from matching the amazing benchmarks he reached last season. His batting average is down 83 points from last season, when he led the majors with a .331 clip. While 50 homers still seems within reach, hitting 53 like he did last season or 58 as he did in 2024 will be a tall task, especially if he has to miss any significant time.

The Yankees are sending Aaron Judge (bone bruise in right ribcage) to see a specialist for additional testing.
“It’s kind of a unique spot,” Boone said. “We’ll have the specialist probably look at it tomorrow and see where we’re at and see how he feels with it.”

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) June 3, 2026

The Yankees felt the absence of the seven-time All-Star in their series opener against the Cleveland Guardians. An early back-and-forth contest in the Bronx turned one-sided toward the end of a suboptimal outing by Cam Schlittler, where he gave up five runs, which is shockingly a career high in his 27th start. Thriving lately in his new platoon role, Paul Goldschmidt did his best to carry the offense while hitting in Judge’s customary two-hole, driving in all four Yankees runs. However, New York ultimately came up on the wrong end of a 9-4 final.

While giving the postgame update on Judge, Boone commented, “It’s kind of a unique spot,” adding, “We’ll have the specialist probably look at it tomorrow and see where we’re at and see how he feels with it.” With the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm ET on Wednesday, the Yankees will hope that the Aaron Judge bone bruise is not a major concern and he is cleared to return by then. If not, then at least they may know exactly the extent of the injury they’re dealing with.

Main Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images