Aaron Judge out for several weeks with rib stress fracture, Yankees announce

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge has been diagnosed with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side, the team announced on Thursday night.

The Yankees said that Judge will get more imaging in about four to six weeks. He is expected to return at some point this season, according to the club.

Judge was out of the lineup Thursday for a third straight game. He underwent a CT scan on Thursday morning and had an MRI earlier in the week when he met with a specialist. The bruise was first revealed when Judge underwent testing on the team's off day on Monday.

Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture in one of his right ribs in March 2020. The injury occurred when he dove for a ball in September 2019, but Judge did not miss any time because the 2020 season was delayed by the pandemic.

He is hitting .248 with 17 homers and 38 RBIs. The three-time AL MVP has one homer in his past 18 games since May 10 and ended an 11-game homer and RBI drought with a game-ending, two-run drive on May 24 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Judge entered the game against Tampa Bay in a 1-for-24 slump that dropped his batting average to .246. He was hitless in 15 at-bats before singling in the first inning.

Judge won the batting title last season when he hit a career-high .331 with 53 homers and 114 RBIs in 152 games. He missed 10 games from July 26-Aug. 4 with a flexor strain in his right elbow that he sustained on a throw to home on July 22 in Toronto. He underwent a plasma-rich injection and did not require offseason surgery.

The Associated Press contributed to this report