Aaron Judge's .248 Batting Average And Nagging Bone Bruise Have New York Shook To Its Core

Holy smokes, did you guys see what's going down with Aaron Judge in New York? Big trouble for the Yankees slugger. He's officially out of the lineup for their game against Cleveland, sidelined with a bone bruise in his upper right rib. He's apparently feeling it in his right shoulder, and word is he could be out for a few days. Talk about a gut punch when your biggest bat is already struggling!

The Ugly Truth About Judge's Lingering Pain

Yankees manager Aaron Boone laid it all out there: Judge has been dealing with "nagging shoulder soreness" for a couple of weeks now. But over the weekend, during those games in Sacramento, it clearly escalated. Boone saw it in his swings, said it was "more than just nagging," and that it was definitely affecting him. Tests on Monday's off day, boom, confirmed the bruise. Judge met with team doc Dr. Christopher Ahmad on Tuesday, and after their 9-4 loss to Cleveland, Boone confirmed Judge is seeing a specialist Wednesday. You know it's serious when they bring in specialists, right? Boone even admitted it's "tough to say" what's next, wanting to rule out anything else. This isn't new territory either: in March 2020, he had a stress fracture in that same right rib from a dive, getting shut down then.

Slump City Meets The IL: What It Means For The Yankees Lineup

Let's be real, this injury news drops at an already rough time for Judge. The dude's hitting .248 with 17 homers and 38 RBIs, which, for him, is a slump. Since May 10, he's only got one homer in 18 games. He even broke an 11-game homer and RBI drought on May 24 with a game-ending, two-run blast against Tampa Bay, pulling out a 2-0 win. But before that, he was in a brutal 1-for-24 slump, his average dipping to .246, and he'd been hitless in 15 straight at-bats before that Tampa Bay single. Boone thinks this nagging injury has probably been affecting his play recently, especially over the weekend. They're hoping to "get it calmed down" and put it behind them. Last season, Judge was an absolute monster, winning the batting title with a .331 average, 53 homers, and 114 RBIs in 152 games! He missed time last year too, 10 games from July 26 to August 4 with a flexor strain in his right elbow, returning to the outfield on September 5. With Giancarlo Stanton, who played outfield last year when Judge was out, sidelined since April 24 with a strained calf, the Yankees are really thin. Jose Caballero, acquired at the July 31 trade deadline, is stepping up, making his 22nd career start in right field and only his third for the Yankees. Judge had started 52 of their first 59 games out there! They even called up rookie Spencer Jones for four starts before sending him down May 23, and Cody Bellinger has gotten two starts. The pressure is on for these guys to fill those massive shoes.

Speaking of filling gaps, the Yankees are also moving prospect Carlos Lagrange to the bullpen at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre. He's their No. 2 prospect, 0-3 with a 4.41 ERA in 11 Triple-A games, but they see him as potential relief help this season, even if his long-term future is as a starter. Every arm counts when injuries pile up!

What a wild ride for the Yankees. We'll be watching closely to see what that specialist says. Meanwhile, our boys in blue and green just wrapped up a solid game! Mariners beat the Mets 8-3 in a final that felt good to watch. Go M's!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.