When will Aaron Judge be back? How can Yankees replace him? Answering five big questions about his injury
Article excerpt
Aaron Judge's stress fracture in a rib has sidelined the Yankees captain indefinitely, potentially keeping him out until August. The injury raises urgent questions for New York: how the team can compensate for losing its best player mid-season, whether the roster has adequate depth, and what the timeline looks like for his return. CBS Sports examines five critical issues facing the Yankees as they navigate their championship window without their star slugger.
Aaron Judge was officially moved to the injured list before the Yankees' game against the Red Sox on Friday, June 5. Top prospect Spencer Jones was recalled to take his spot in the outfield. Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his first right rib and is expected to miss several weeks.
The Yankees said Judge will be shut down for four to six weeks before reimaging. That means the most optimistic timeline would be a late July, early August return.
Jones, a left-handed slugger, made his major-league debut last month and was underwhelming. The No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline, Jones hit .167/.259./.167 in 27 plate appearance during his first stint. The Yankees are thin in the outfield at the moment with Giancarlo Stanton on the IL with a right calf issue and Jasson Dominguez also on the IL with a left shoulder strain.
Jones has shown power potential for years. At Triple-A Scranton this year, he is hitting. 269 with a .571 slugging percentage, 13 home runs and 48 RBI in 43 games.
The 2022 first-round pick out of Vanderbilt has also shown penchant for striking out a lot. During his first major-league stint, he struck out at a 44.4% rate. In Triple-A he has struck out 60 times in 185 plate appearances this year.
While he is also 6-foot-7 like Judge, he is stepping into a big hole in the lineup left by the Yankees captain.
Before the injury, Judge, the two-time reigning American League MVP, was hitting .248 with 17 homers in 261 plate appearances.
It is a big moment for Jones, who fell off the Top 100 prospect lists last offseason after 109 strikeouts in 298 Triple-A plate appearances. He was demoted May 21 with instructions to work on his swing.
Now the Yankees will have time with Judge on the shelf to see what Jones can do.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aaron Judge injury update: Yankees captain to IL, Spencer Jones back