Aaron Judge: His Health Will Determine the Yankees’ Plan

Aaron Judge hasn't played since May 31. The Yankees star is dealing with a rib injury, and fans are wondering when we'll see #99 back on the field.

Because as things stand, there's no indication that Judge is anywhere near a return.

Last week, Brian Cashman noted that Judge will undergo further tests during the All-Star break to see how his recovery is progressing. And in fact, that could change a lot of things in the Bronx.

Ken Rosenthal, who provided an update on the situation, explained that if the Yankees receive good news from these tests, the team is likely to be aggressive leading up to the trade deadline. That said, if the news is less favorable, the plan could be quite different.

Because if Giancarlo Stanton is also out for quite some time, the Yankees might conclude that they aren't equipped to win a World Series.

We know that Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger are currently the best hitters in the Yankees' lineup. It's not a bad duo, but one has to wonder if these two guys can lead an offense all the way to a championship.

And that's even though the Yankees' starting rotation is second to none.

One might wonder if a strong stretch by the team after the All-Star break could prompt Brian Cashman to make a trade—even if the news about Judge were bad. The Yankees have gone through a rough stretch in recent weeks, but they've gotten back on track in the last few days.

But the simplest scenario for the Yankees to make a trade at the deadline would clearly be if the team received good news about Judge. All that's left to do now is wait to hear a little more.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.