Aaron Judge has rib stress fracture, could need surgery

It’s bad news for the New York Yankees on the Aaron Judge front.

Manager Aaron Boone revealed Friday that Judge has a stress fracture in his right rib. Judge will be shut down and re-evaluated in two weeks, but surgery is a possibility if rest does not do the job.

Aaron Judge has a stress fracture in a rib. Yankees are going to try two weeks of rest but surgery is not off the table.

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) March 6, 2020

This is far from what the Yankees will want to hear. Obviously, the best-case scenario is the rest proves to be enough and Judge is back in the lineup shortly after Opening Day. If that doesn’t work, though, the Yankees will have to consider more drastic steps.

Judge hasn’t played all spring and has barely hit. Even if he recovers quickly, he’ll likely need a bit of work before appearing in an MLB game.