Yankees' Aaron Judge out at Least 2 Weeks with Rib Injury; Surgery Possible

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge will miss at least two weeks with the rib injury that has kept him out for most of spring training. 

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Friday that Judge has a stress fracture in his rib and will be reassessed in two weeks, with surgery still a possibility at some point. 

It's another unfortunate blow to one of the game's most impressive hitters. The Yankees spent most of spring training working to get Judge healthy after he reported to camp with soreness in his shoulder. After MRIs came back negative at the end of February, New York slowed down his rehab as it looked for the cause. 

The two-week timeline means the earliest Judge can return is March 20. New York opens the regular season on March 26 against the Baltimore Orioles.

Boone previously stated he wanted to see Judge play in exhibition games over the last 10 days of spring training before deciding on his status for the season opener. 

"I'm a little frustrated for him," Boone told the media during spring training. 

Despite winning 103 games and capturing the American League East title in 2019, New York suffered through an injury-prone season that saw Judge play just 102 games. When he was on the field, the 27-year-old was electric, slashing .272/.381/.540 with 27 home runs. 

While he's sidelined, the Yankees will likely rely on a combination of Mike Tauchman, Clint Frazier, Aaron Hicks and Brett Gardner as their main outfield mix.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has told reporters Giancarlo Stanton will likely be unavailable for Opening Day due to a strained calf.

Judge may be one of the most irreplaceable presences in baseball. He's crushed 110 home runs in 396 games since joining the Yankees and led the league in 2017 with 52.