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Why is Aaron Judge not playing today? Is the Yankees star injured? Here's when he could return
Aaron Judge has been moved to the Yankees' 60-day Injured List as he continues recovering from a fractured rib.
The New York Yankees remain without their captain, Aaron Judge. He is now on the 60-day Injured List, a move the team made on Saturday.
The Yankees moved Judge to the 60-day Injured List on Saturday as he continues to recover from his fractured rib.
The New York Yankees are playing the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight, July 20, 2026 and the game is scheduled to begin at 7:05pm ET at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York.
He remains without a definitive return timetable. Judge told reporters it'll be a couple of weeks before he undergoes re-imaging to determine his next steps. He remains limited to lower-body work and neck exercises, with no upper-body or overhead lifting at this stage. He has been out with a rib fracture since early June, as per Fox News.
When is Aaron Judge Coming Back?
Judge gave an update on his rib earlier in the week. “Some progress, some healing going on, but not fully healed,” Judge said. “So we're still waiting on one more doctor to take a look at it, kind of see how we progress forward the next couple of weeks. But definitely a positive sign that we're seeing some healing.”
According to the Associated Press, Judge will need another scan before a major ramp-up of activity while his fractured rib heals. Sidelined since May 31, Judge had a scan during the All-Star break that was reviewed by Dr. Gregory J. Pearl, chair of the department of vascular surgery at Baylor Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital in Texas.
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Saturday, “Obviously, healing going on, which is good, but still not able to start any baseball activities or anything.”
The Yankees have consistently said they expect Judge to return during the regular season, though it's unclear what a realistic target date might be. Sometime in mid-to-late August appears to be a best-case scenario, but September can't be ruled out either, according to MLB.com.
