Aaron Judge officially out indefinitely with stress fracture in huge blow to Yankees' title hopes

The New York Yankees have the 22nd-most optimistic fanbase in the MLB. Colin Cowherd asks if Yankees fans should be concerned or hopeful for the upcoming season.

The New York Yankees might be the best team in the American League in 2026.

First baseman Ben Rice has been one of the best hitters in baseball through the first third of the season. Gerrit Cole is finally back on a big league mound for the first time since 2024. Cam Schlitter has been outstanding, Cody Bellinger has been excellent in his second season in the Bronx.

But it's no secret that the Yankees will only go as far as Aaron Judge takes them. The all-world superstar, early on in the season, looked like he might be on his way to another record-setting season. But he slumped, at least by his standards, in May, putting up "just" an .805 OPS.

On Thursday, we might have found out why.

NEW YORK YANKEES GET BAD NEWS ON AARON JUDGE'S MYSTERIOUS INJURY: 'WE JUST WANT CLARITY'

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees sits in the dugout before a game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, Calif., on May 29, 2026. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Judge, for the first time this season, didn't play in Tuesday's game. And the Yankees weren't exactly forthcoming as to why. On Wednesday, Aaron Boone admitted there was some uncertainty as to what exactly the problem was.

"He’s going back for some more imaging," the Yankees manager told reporters after Wednesday's game. "They just want to get some more specific spots, and so we’ll have more on that later."

"We just want clarity on what we’re exactly dealing with," he added. "Then we can set the course of action and kind of have an idea what the timeline is going to be."

On Thursday, they got that clarity. And while