One of the biggest names in sports continues to be sidelined by injury. Aaron Judge has not played since May 31 as he is nursing a right rib injury. The Yankees have not yet offered a specific timeline for Judge’s return, but we will attempt to read the tea leaves here based on all of the latest information. In addition to this Judge injury update, we will also look at Yankees betting odds as we get set to enter the month of July.
Aaron Judge injury update: When will Yankees star be back in the fold?
One thing that the Yankees have maintained over the past few weeks is that Judge will be back on the field this season. Here is a recent exchange from June 9 between MLB reporter Jon Heyman and Yankees manager Aaron Boone. The conversation took place on Heyman and Joel Sherman’s baseball podcast titled, “The Show.”
Heyman: Nobody has really given a timetable for Judge’s return. What do you think? Are you pretty confident that he will be back from what you’ve been told?
Boone: Yes … yeah … and [Judge is] very confident.
Heyman: What have you been told that you’re so confident? They said they expect him to be back, but they haven’t said anything beyond that. What makes you confident?
Boone: Just the nature of the injury, and hearing the doctors talk. We just haven’t put a timeline on it because we don’t want to do that and miss the target, or make the target, or anything like that. I think there’s pretty strong confidence that he’ll be back and fully healthy.
Judge returning before the All-Star break seems out of the question, but a late July return could be on the table.
Last season, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola had a similar injury to the one Judge is currently suffering from. Nola was diagnosed with a stress fracture in one of his right ribs in mid-June of 2025 and he did not pitch in the Majors again until Aug. 17, 2025.
That is roughly two months on the shelf.
The Yankees will obviously proceed with an abundance of caution with their prized player, so at least a two-month stint on the IL seems likely.
Given all the information at hand, early-to-mid August seems like the most likely time for the three-time American League MVP to be back.
Here is a look at the Yankees’ schedule around that time.
- Sunday, August 9: Braves at Yankees
- Tuesday, August 11: Mariners at Yankees
- Wednesday, August 12: Mariners at Yankees
- Thursday, August 13: Mariners at Yankees
- Friday, August 14: Yankees at Blue Jays
Aaron Judge odds
Given how many games Judge is set to miss due to the injury, he no longer appears on the Fanatics Sportsbook MVP odds board.
Judge was the favorite at the start of the season, with +180 odds, and he was the favorite at the time of the injury (+110).
The Yankees’ captain has missed 18 of the 77 games the team has played in thus far in 2026.
Yankees odds
The Yankees have played average baseball since Judge landed on the shelf as they are 10-8 since June 1. They are 46-31 overall and lead the American League East by two games over the Tampa Bay Rays.
New York was +425 to win the World Series at the time of the injury, and it is now +460 at Fanatics Sportsbook to win it all.
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