Jason Burgos
A new report claims that a planned health update on Aaron Judge today will have a huge influence on the New York Yankees‘ plans before the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline.
Heading into their second-half opener against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the Yankees are in a tough position. At 54-42, they own the second-best record in the American League. They have that record because they have arguably the best pitching staff in the AL. That will give them a serious chance to reach the World Series in October.
However, for as good as their staff has been, this team is not winning the franchise a 28th championship without a healthy Judge. And that remains unclear after he suffered a stress fracture of his right first rib in May.
The team has been letting it heal, and today is expected to reveal an important update on when or even if he will return to the field in 2026. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the results that come today will have a massive effect on whether the Yankees will be buyers at all before the trade deadline.
“The Yankees are expected to provide an update Friday. If the news is good and Judge appears capable of returning in August, the Yankees can aggressively pursue their biggest needs. But if Judge will be out for a longer period — or worse, the rest of the season — club officials might be more circumspect.”
– Ken Rosenthal
Even without Judge, the Yankees could still reach the World Series in a weak AL. However, the ultimate goal is winning championships. With ownership more weary of adding big contracts than in decades past, they could certainly forego making bold trades that add to the payroll if they don’t expect their top star to return this season.
