New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge is approaching a new phase in his recovery from a right rib stress fracture, with imaging tests scheduled during the upcoming All-Star break.
General Manager Brian Cashman stated Thursday that the tests will determine if there has been sufficient healing to allow Judge to begin increasing his activity levels. The team does not anticipate the injury being fully healed, as Judge will be approximately six weeks post-diagnosis at that point. However, if improvement is evident, the two-time American League MVP could start a ramp-up process, which typically takes several weeks.
"I think we’re anticipating and hopeful that it’s showing the healing process," Cashman said. "The timeframe, regardless of what the findings are going to show, is going to be coming from our medical team. I haven’t even bothered to ask that question, because his current condition restricts him in a lot of different ways. He can’t do a lot of things in the upper body that puts any stress on his rib cage."
An August return is considered the most optimistic scenario, even if cleared for increased activity. Judge has been largely shut down as he recovers.
The Yankees have experienced a significant drop in performance during Judge's absence. After managing well in the initial weeks of June, the team entered Thursday's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays on a 5-15 stretch, trailing them by five games in the AL East standings.