The New York Yankees haven't won the World Series since 2009, and in their one appearance since, lost in five games to their historic rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Even that undersells how bad that series went for New York, with their defensive collapse in the fifth inning of Game 5 becoming the stuff of legend.
But the 2026 season thus far has seemingly set the Yankees up as favorites to return to the Fall Classic. The American League is, to put it mildly, bad. There are just five teams over .500, even as we rapidly approach the halfway point in the season.
While the Tampa Bay Rays are in first place in the division, the Yankees' deficit is just one game and their run differential at +92 is by far the highest in the AL. Their ace, Gerrit Cole, is back on a big-league mound for the first time since 2024. Cam Schlitter has been a revelation. Ben Rice, out of nowhere, is suddenly playing like an MVP candidate.
But it's no secret that the Yankees' fortunes are dependent on reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge.
AARON JUDGE IS ONCE AGAIN ON PACE TO MAKE HISTORY, THREATEN HIS OWN AL SINGLE-SEASON HOME RUN RECORD
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge strikes out during the fifth inning against the Athletics in New York on April 8, 2026. (Heather Khalifa/AP)
Judge has once again been excellent in 2026, though a bit underneath his career norms with a .248/.375/.533 batting line, 17 home runs and a 150 weighted runs created plus and 2.2 wins above replacement. But that all came to a screeching halt when Judge was out of the lineup on Tuesday night against the Athletics.
Initially, the Yankees said he was dealing with a bone bruise after reporting discomfort and soreness. But after being examined by a specialist, it's still unclear how significant the injury is and if there are more "specific" issues he's facing.
"He’s going back for some more imaging," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters. "They just want to get some more specific spots, and so we’ll have more on that later."
That implies the injury could be more of a serious problem than the team initially believed or let on. Boone also added that Judge has been dealing with soreness in his shoulder for "the last couple of weeks," specifically when swinging.
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New York Yankees' Aaron Judge rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, on April 27, 2026. (Tony Gutierrez/AP)
"Aaron obviously means a lot to us," Cole added. "He just plays great baseball all the time and brings great energy. It’s tough when guys get hurt, but unfortunately, it’s part of the game. As a team, you’ve got to figure out how to step up in those situations, and so that’s what we’ll do."
Boone too, acknowledged that there's a lack of "clarity" on exactly what they're facing with Judge.
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New York Yankees' Aaron Judge walks to the dugout after striking out during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco on March 25, 2026. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)
"We just want clarity on what we’re exactly dealing with," Boone said. "Then we can set the course of action and kind of have an idea what the timeline is going to be."
Judge has dealt with issues around his ribs in the past, particularly in 2019. If this injury, whatever it turns out to be, keeps him out for a significant period of time, that's a major blow to their hopes of winning the division and securing a first-round bye. Or, if there's something more to it that requires an even longer time frame, reaching or winning the World Series. That's not likely to be the case, but whenever there's this much uncertainty, it's disconcerting for Judge, the Yankees and their fans.
Ian Miller is a writer at OutKick.
