Aaron Judge Resumes Hitting as Rib Injury Recovery Progresses

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge has resumed hitting off a tee following a three-month absence caused by a stress fracture in his right first rib, manager Aaron Boone announced on August 23, 2026, in New York.

The 34-year-old outfielder initially sustained the injury while attempting a diving catch against the Houston Astros on April 26. He played through discomfort for over a month before the team placed him on the injured list in late May, eventually transferring him to the 60-day injured list on July 18.

Dr. Spencer Stein, a sports orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone, explained the unique challenge of the injury in an interview with NJ.com, noting that the first rib presents distinct complications compared to typical mid-rib fractures.

"Oh, the first rib. That’s interesting. It’s more of a shoulder injury almost," said Dr.

Spencer Stein, sports orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone. "It’s high. You usually see the mid-ribs fractured.

There’s a whole lot of blood vessels there. This is stress fracture, though, right?"

Dr. Stein emphasized that while bone union typically occurs within two months, full recovery demands extended conditioning and patience.

"I think that most athletes require a period of ramp up to be full return to sports and at the same level they were pre-injury," said Stein. "So if he’s getting back to sport, that’s great. But most people will take time to get back to that elite level.

Now, he is the most elite athlete, so I think that there is promise that he’ll do well. But unfortunately, with a rib injury, there’s just a lot of stress and that’s probably why it’s taken so long. So every swing, every throw, there’s going to be constant stress on that rib.

There’s no way to cast a rib, so that’s why sometimes they take so long. I think they had to be a little bit guarded about the initial prognosis and recovery, but I would say having him out three months hopefully gave him enough time to have a good amount of healing and be feeling well."

Addressing the likelihood of a complete recovery prior to the postseason, Stein noted that the overall outlook remains positive.

"I think the prognosis is reasonably good that if he comes back, does some rehab assignment work and plays some games in September, by the end of September and October he’s hopefully feeling good," said Stein. "But it’s to be determined. Really, it’s hard to 100 percent predict, but it seems reasonable now because it’s still mid-August."

Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed that Judge has expanded his training routine to include outdoor running, throwing, and upper-body strength exercises alongside hitting practice.

"He’s hit off the tee now a couple of times, so he did that today," said Aaron Boone, manager of the New York Yankees. "It seems to be going well. It’ll be good to see him tomorrow when we get home."

Boone provided additional updates during a media session during the team's series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

"He had been [running], I think yesterday or the day before, did more bases," said Boone. "But nothing new."

Addressing Judge's daily rehabilitation workload, Boone reiterated that physical buildup remains the primary focus.

"Oh, we'll see. You know, he's hit now a few days off the tee, and I think he didn't hit yesterday," said Boone. "But I think he'll probably hit again today."

Boone emphasized that restoring general fitness is essential after weeks of mandatory rest.

"But he's running, doing strength stuff, responding well," said Boone. "So the biggest thing for him now is kind of building up the body to get back in playing shape, where he wasn't allowed to do much for that first month, especially. So it's more getting the body up to speed as much as anything."

Judge expressed firm confidence regarding his availability for the stretch run.

"Oh, I'll be back this season," said Aaron Judge, captain of the New York Yankees. "I don't know why I wouldn't be. That was always the plan to come back."

Prior to his injury, Judge was batting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs across 59 games. The Yankees hold a 73-56 record, leading the American League Wild Card race by three games over the Boston Red Sox while trailing the Tampa Bay Rays by three games in the AL East.