The New York Yankees‘ starting lineup against the Cleveland Guardians featured one curious omission. Aaron Judge, the team’s superstar slugger, was not in the lineup. Utility infielder Jose Caballero instead got the start in right field.
Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports the cause of Judge’s omission from the lineup. Yankees manager Aaron Boone told Kuty that their star slugger has dealt a shoulder problem for weeks, then got worse in their series win over the Athletics. Imaging revealed a bone bruise in the right rib, which the feeling manifests in the shoulder, and will meet with a doctor to discuss the next steps.
Yankees Reveal New Aaron Judge Injury
Any injury to Aaron Judge will yield huge implications to baseball as a whole. The Yankees slugger is consistently one of the frontrunners in the American League race, consistently pushing his team into the postseason.
Perhaps the shoulder problem could also be telling as to why Judge’s numbers have dropped this season. In the 2026 season, he’s slashing .248/.375/.533 with 17 homers and a 150 wRC+. While that mark is great, objectively speaking, it’s his lowest mark since 2021. In each of the four past seasons, his wRC+ has been at least 173.
In the Yankees’ series win over the Athletics, Judge was just 2-for-12 at the plate with no extra-base hits, three strikeouts, and two walks. His shoulder issues got worse, which likely impacted his performance. That led to the imaging and subsequent rest day in the lineup.
According to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, Yankees manager Aaron Boone believes they caught the injury in time to prevent a much worse situation. Judge is not in the lineup, but is currently day-to-day.
Yankees Plan with Aaron Judge Ailing
Jose Caballero gets the start in right field for the first game, but a longer term absence could be more detrimental. Even though Aaron Judge isn’t having the type of season most people expected, it’s still tough to replace that type of bat.
The club is considerably thin with their outfield mix. Utility infielders Amed Rosario, Jose Caballero, and Max Schuemann could each provide corner outfield coverage in the event of a short-term injury to Judge. However, if Judge requires a stint on the injured list, they could have troubling putting together a consistent outfield.
If the club wants an outfielder, then Spencer Jones makes the most sense. Jones is the only other outfielder on the 40-man roster and already saw his first taste of big league action this season.
However, his performance at the plate resulted in a demotion to Triple-A when Caballero returned from injury. The club instead chose to carry an extra infielder in Anthony Volpe, who outhit Jones in that stretch, and rely on their utility infielders for outfield coverage.
The progress of both Jasson Dominguez and Giancarlo Stanton could also play a role in this development. Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports that both Stanton and Dominguez will take live BP. Phillips also relays that Dominguez could be on track for a rehab assignment later in the week, possibly June 5.
For now, the Yankees are treating Judge’s injury as a day-to-day situation. But the results of his consultation with a doctor will determine whether New York is dealing with a brief absence or a much larger problem in the middle of a postseason race.
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