Aaron Judge out with stress fracture in rib on his right side - ESPN

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side and is expected to return this season, the team announced Thursday night.

The three-time American League MVP missed three straight games as he underwent various tests this week to pinpoint the genesis for discomfort that had hampered him for an extended period.

Judge will miss significant time — the Yankees said he will be re-imaged in approximately four to six weeks to determine his level of healing and the next steps — but the club feared worse. The outfielder underwent an MRI, CT scan, and X-rays, and was evaluated by multiple doctors, including Dr. Gregory Pearl, who specializes in thoracic outlet syndrome management in Dallas.

A thoracic outlet diagnosis could have sidelined Judge for the remainder of the year. Instead, the Yankees said in Thursday's statement that «Judge is expected to return at some point this season» with 100 games remaining.

Judge, 34, was diagnosed with a stress fracture in one of his right ribs and a partially collapsed lung in March 2020 stemming from him diving for a ball in September 2019. The injury didn't keep him out of any games because the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of the 2020 campaign. A right calf strain ended up limiting him to 28 games as he finished with a .257/.336/.554 slash line and nine home runs in the shortened season.

Judge had played in the Yankees' first 59 games this season before missing Tuesday's series opener against the Cleveland Guardians. The Yankees initially described his injury as a bone bruise. Manager Aaron Boone said Judge did not know when the injury occurred, but it caused pain in his right shoulder that he only felt swinging and had