Overview
- The Yankees placed Aaron Judge on the 60-day injured list on July 18 to free a 40-man roster spot after re-imaging showed his right first-rib stress fracture is healing but not healed enough for baseball activity.
- Team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad and Texas specialist Dr. Gregory J. Pearl reviewed the scans and agreed Judge cannot begin upper-body work until he is asymptomatic to avoid a setback that could threaten his season.
- Judge has been limited to lower-body conditioning and neck work since he last played on May 31 and both he and manager Aaron Boone said his sharp pain has eased to a duller discomfort.
- The 60-day move was procedural to open a roster spot for right-hander Bradley Hanner and does not by itself signal a season-ending injury though it pushes a practical best-case return toward September.
- Yankees depth has improved as rehabbing pitchers Clarke Schmidt and Max Fried made positive bullpen and minor-league rehab progress that could help bridge Judge’s absence for the club down the stretch.