Aaron Judge is still not close to the next medical checkpoint in his rib injury recovery. Aaron Boone said before Friday’s game that Judge will not be ready for re-imaging and that there is no timetable for a re-evaluation.
That leaves the Yankees waiting on their biggest bat without a clear return window. Judge has not played since May 31 and has been on the injured list for about three weeks, a stretch that is now coming up on four weeks without a game appearance.
Boone’s update mattered because it was the first real marker on where Judge stands now: still taking things slow, but not far enough along for the next scan. In practical terms, re-imaging is the medical check that comes after enough healing has taken place to see whether the injury has settled enough to move the recovery forward. Boone did not say Judge had reached that point.
The same pregame update also touched on Giancarlo Stanton, who is doing a little bit better and is a bit more ramped up after a setback two weeks ago. That matters for New York because the lineup has already been stretched thin, and Friday only deepened the picture: the Yankees lost 6-1 at Fenway Park and managed just three hits and two walks against Payton Tolle.
The broader picture is simple. Judge remains out, Stanton is still working back, and the Yankees do not have a date to circle for either player’s next step. For Judge, the key question is no longer when he might return, but when his body will finally be ready for the re-imaging that could tell the team what comes next.
