The New York Yankees 2026 season is going to take a huge hit.
It's pretty inevitable after word came down that Aaron Judge would miss 4-6 weeks, and possibly as much as two months after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right rib.
According to The Athletic, Judge had been playing with the injury since late April when he landed awkwardly while diving for a catch while trying to avoid a teammate in Houston on April 26.
Writes Brandon Kuty of the Athletic: "Since the end of the series in Houston, Judge has hit .263 with seven home runs and a .888 OPS in 31 games. But his production fell off a cliff after May 10, and he batted .206 with a home run and a .613 OPS since then."
How will this affect the Yankees season is anyone's guess at this point. The Yankees have been without Judge before over extended periods of time, and have found ways to win games. Right now though they are 1-3 in the first four games without Judge in the lineup.
There will be added pressure on the current group to get the job done, and outside of Cody Bellinger, that group consists mostly of the young prospects the Yankees have been bringing along. This is especially important because in addition to Judge, Giancarlo Stanton (calf) is also out, and according to manager Aaron Boone, he won't be activated this week.
Once Stanton returns it will help. But now a lot of responsibility will fall on the shoulders of guys like Ben Rice, Anthony Volpe, and Spencer Jones. Talk about a Somerset Patriots vibe!
If the kids are alright, the Yankees will be fine. They do have solid enough pitching. Gerrit Cole is back, and Cam Schlittler is putting together an All Star campaign. Max Fried and Ryan Weathers have been solid.
The other question will be what will Brian Cashman do come the deadline? If Judge is indeed out two months, it might force Cashman's hand to swing some kind of deal for a DH/outfield help.
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