Aaron Judge was finally placed on the 60-day injured list Saturday, mostly a procedural move to free up a spot on the 40-man roster.
But it was another reminder of just how much time Judge will miss due to a fractured right rib that’s sidelined him since the end of May.
And even after Judge underwent more testing Wednesday, which showed some healing, he’s still not able to resume baseball activities.
Aaron Boone said Saturday that Dr. Gregory Pearl, the rib specialist who gave Judge the initial diagnosis, agreed he’ll still be limited, with the manager adding Judge needs to be “asymptomatic” before he can resume upper-body workouts.
When that happens is anyone’s guess, although Boone said there was some encouragement in that Judge’s pain has gone from “sharp” to “more dull.”
All of this means the Yankees will have to survive for some time longer, as he figures to need at least several weeks after he’s healthy to get back into the lineup.
It’s possible he won’t be back until September, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be at full strength.
That means the questions surrounding the Yankees — and their lineup — won’t be going away anytime soon.
The Yankees have continued to be mediocre at best in his absence.
They are just 18-20 since Judge got hurt after opening the season 36-23.
That drop-off brings back memories of 2023, when the Yankees missed the playoffs largely because Judge was sidelined with a torn toe ligament after slamming into the wall at Dodger Stadium.
Boone has said this roster is deeper than the one three years ago and that outside of a stretch when the Yankees lost nine of 10 from late June to early July, “for the most part, we’ve played well.”
But cracks have become apparent.
It was true again in the team’s first game back from the All-Star break Friday, when it scored just one run in a loss to the Dodgers in The Bronx.
Here’s a look at how the lineup has fared in Judge’s absence:
Since Judge’s last game May 31, they’ve gotten solid production from Trent Grisham, who has an .894 OPS in that stretch.
It’s the highest mark on the team, but the center fielder still is impacted by the strained right hamstring that landed him on the IL just over a month ago.
The effects of that were seen Friday, when Grisham was thrown out at home trying to score on Ben Rice’s eighth-inning double.
As for Rice, who hasn’t been the MVP-level force he had been with Judge in the lineup, he nonetheless has put up an OPS of .864 without him.
Paul Goldschmidt’s production has dipped, largely because he’s playing much more than the Yankees anticipated, with Judge and Giancarlo Stanton out.
But his .758 OPS has not been an issue.
Though Jasson Domínguez hasn’t been able to secure an everyday job, even without Judge available, he’s been somewhat of a threat.
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The culprits for the Yankees lineup issues arguably begin with All-Star Cody Bellinger, who had an .855 OPS before Judge got hurt and just a .622 OPS in his absence.
Like the Yankees overall, Bellinger was impressive in the immediate aftermath of the loss of Judge, but has fallen off considerably since the middle of June.
He’s 16-for-90 with four doubles in his last 24 games entering Saturday — although he’s 8-for-20 in his past five games.
Like Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr. held up just fine for nearly three weeks after Judge went down but has a .554 OPS since June 19.
Over that same stretch, José Caballero, who had a .735 OPS on June 19, has put up an OPS of .553.
At third base, Ryan McMahon has actually warmed up since early June, but Amed Rosario has tanked, with an .843 OPS pre-Judge injury and .590 after.
And then there’s Austin Wells, whose nightmare season has the Yankees looking for a new catcher.
As bad as he was slumping with Judge around (.570 OPS), he’s been almost unplayable since, with a .326 OPS — nearly 100 points lower than the next player on the list with at least 60 plate appearances.
