ESPN Names 2 Yankees Who Must Step Up After Aaron Judge Injury
The New York Yankees will be without superstar outfielder and reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge for at least one month.
Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his rib, and the initial timeline is anywhere from 4-to-6 weeks for the Yankees slugger.
The Yankees recalled 25-year-old slugger Spencer Jones, who had just four hits in 24 at-bats when he made his MLB debut earlier this season.
Jones figures to see more playing time, at least until Jasson Dominguez is back from the IL.
But two veterans need to step up at the plate with Judge on the shelf, according to ESPN's David Schoenfield.
"Two players who will need to step it up here: Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham, who combined for 65 home runs in 2025 but are on pace to combine for just 37 in 2026. Their drops in the power department are a key reason the Yankees' overall OPS against right-handed pitchers has declined 43 points from last season and why they're 23-19 against right-handed starters compared to 14-6 against left-handers," Schoenfield wrote.
Entering Friday, Grisham is hitting just .212 with seven home runs and 31 RBI. Chisholm is batting .237 with seven home runs and 22 RBI, so neither player has been able to find the power so far in 2026.
Ben Rice, who has become an everyday part of the lineup for manager Aaron Boone, is hitting .300 with 17 home runs and 44 RBI, and he hit a home run on Friday to add another to his total.
Somehow, the Yankees are 2nd in MLB in home runs, but Rice and Judge combined for 34 of those going into the weekend series against the Boston Red Sox.
Aaron Judge Appeared to Suffer the Injury in April
On Friday, Judge spoke to reporters, and the seven-time All-Star said he thinks the initial injury took place on April 27 against the Houston Astros.
Aaron Judge said he thinks he suffered the rib injury on a dive avoiding a teammate on April 27 in Texas. Pain got so bad in Sacramento he had basically stopped swinging much pregame and it affected his in-game swings. Wouldn't talk timetable: "That stuff's all made up."
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) June 5, 2026
Here's a video of what was believed to be the play where Judge suffered the injury.
Aaron Judge said his injury came from diving for a ball in Houston. Also mentioned he was avoiding a teammate.
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) June 5, 2026
This is likely the play.
Stinks. Hoping for a speedy recovery. pic.twitter.com/IbB7khQg23
Whatever the case may be, Judge is now out until at least July 4. There is a chance he sits out until after the All-Star Game, which is scheduled for July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
For now, the Yankees will try and make do with the options on their roster, but they need more from veterans such as Chisholm and Grisham, or things could go downhill quickly in the Bronx.
Related: Aaron Judge Injury Update Sends Yankees Nasty Curve Ball
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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 7:52 PM.