The New York Yankees are in full-blown crisis right now. They have lost seven games in a row, and their two best hitters — Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton — are both sidelined.
Star pitcher Max Fried is out, too. So are role players Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon.
But obviously, most eyes are on Judge, who has now been out for a month due to a stress fracture in his rib, and he doesn’t appear any closer to returning.
In fact, the Yankees received some rather tough news on Judge this week, discovering that the three-time MVP can’t even have additional imaging for another four-to-six weeks.
This is obviously frustrating for Judge, who was peppered with questions about his injury before New York’s loss to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.
Typically even-keeled, Judge showed a rare moment of irritability when answering the inquiries.
“I’ve got nothing for you,” Judge said. “You know how it goes around here — guys can feel good, feel bad, but you’ve got to wait on images. I’ll give you a good update when we get some imaging.”
Reporters continued to prod, and Judge stopped them in their tracks.
“There’s no need to talk about this now,” Judge added. “I know it’s an important topic and a big issue, but I want to give you guys the full story.”
Clearly, Judge can’t answer any questions about his timetable, because he doesn’t have one yet. Initially, many felt he could return in mid-to-late August, but now, it’s looking like a September return is a possibility.
The Yankees do expect the 34-year-old back at some point this season, but they’re not sure when.
Judge was slashing .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI over 261 plate appearances prior to hitting the injured list.
New York has fallen to 48-38 on the year and is now three-and-a-half games behind the Tampa Bay Rays — five in the loss column — for first place in the AL East.





