Yankees slugger Aaron Judge's progress from rib injury taking some time
Yankees' Aaron Judge fields deep fly balls during spring training on Feb. 11, 2020 in Tampa. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Speaking on a conference call with Yankees beat reporters March 25, Aaron Boone said the right rib fracture that kept Aaron Judge out of spring training was “still in the healing phase.”
Well over a month later, it still is, and the true nature of the rightfielder’s progress still is very much a mystery.
“He's due for another CT scan, I believe, in a couple more weeks,” Boone said during an interview Tuesday morning on MLB Network Radio. “So this time down has allowed that rib, that bone, to hopefully continue to heal. All signs are encouraging there and hopefully this time down allows that rib to heal properly and hopefully have him part of all this as well.”
A “part of all this” would be whatever form a 2020 Major League Baseball season takes, if there is one.
However, based on Boone’s comments Tuesday and the ones made publicly before that, it isn’t clear exactly how much healing has occurred with Judge’s injury. The verbiage has remained virtually the same.
“He’s using this time to continue to heal,” Boone said April 23 during a YES Network appearance. “Obviously, it’s been very productive having the chance to have this time to allow the rib to heal. And that is happening.”
Judge and the Yankees trace the injury — as well as the punctured lung he had been dealing with for months that he disclosed to reporters March 20 — to a diving attempt to make a catch in a game last Sept. 18 against the Angels.
Spring training officially was shut down March 13 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Judge has been rehabbing since then at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
“That’s the silver lining in all of this, having the ability to not feel rushed trying to get back for a certain date,” Judge said March 20. “We don’t really have a date right now. I’m just trying to let it heal. Not trying to rush it.”
