The bat most responsible for carrying the Yankees' offense is going to be down for a significant period of time after Aaron Judge fractured his front first rib.
May 30, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge prepares to go back out for the bottom half of the sixth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park.
Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images The bat most responsible for carrying the Yankees’ offense is going to be down for a significant period of time after Aaron Judge fractured his front first rib. The 24-year-old was not necessarily having an MVP-caliber start to the 2026 campaign, but it was still plenty good, batting .248 with a .907 OPS, 17 home runs, and 38 RBI in 59 games.
Obviously, it’s a massive blow for the Bronx Bombers, but not an insurmountable one — which is how it felt three years ago when a toe injury sidelined him for over 50 games. Since the start of the 2022 season, the Yankees are 14 games under.500 when No. 99 is not in the lineup. Ben Rice is capable of carrying New York’s attack, which might not have been the most believable thing to read just three months ago.
But the 27-year-old first baseman/catcher/DH is having a better season at the dish than Judge..299 with a 1.032 OPS, 18 home runs, 45 RBI, and a league-leading 47 runs scored. Granted, he naturally gets more to hit when Judge is in the lineup. There is a chance production dips without that protection, but Rice is not changing a thing.
“It’s just keep focusing on today,” Rice told reporters. “Stay in the present, and we’ll evaluate at the end. ” Still, someone else is going to have to step up to fill Judge’s shoes. Spencer Jones will have an opportunity to prove he can stick in the majors, but his strikeout rate of 32.4% is alarming.
Jasson Domínguez is on a rehab assignment and will also figure into the conversation once he returns. Internal options are likely the path that general manager Brian Cashman will take. He said last week that he did not foresee Judge’s absence impacting their trade-deadline plans.
“If we expect him back, which we do, then I don’t see why that would impact something for the deadline,” Cashman said. “So, we just have to be able to hold the fort and hold that spot nice and warm until he returns. ” It certainly does not hurt that the Yankees have one of the better stables of pitchers in all of baseball.
Their 3.27 team ERA ranks fourth-best in the majors, and it will only get better when Max Fried returns toward the end of the month from the IL. They may have to shoulder the load should the bats take a step back without their masher. Joe Pantorno has been the executive sports editor of amNewYork since 2020. He covers the New York Mets and is a member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America .
He is also a member of the Pro Hockey Writers’ Association and has covered the New York Islanders for nearly a decade. His previous stops include Bleacher Report and Metro New York, while his work has been featured in the New York Post, Newsday, and Yahoo! Sports. What’s new At Yankee Stadium in 2026?
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