Yankees' Cashman on Judge status: Can't rule out anything - ESPN

NEW YORK — Speaking to reporters minutes after Monday's trade deadline passed, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he remains hopeful Aaron Judge will return from the stress fracture in his right first rib this season but didn't rule out the possibility that the star slugger may not.

«I think that question is a fair question on anybody's side,» Cashman said. «Like is that possible? It's always possible that things don't go the way you want, but we currently are still very optimistic that he's going to return.

»But there's challenges with all that, too. While he's returning, whenever that timeframe is, and ramping him up and getting his timing down, etc., etc. etc. So I can't rule out any of it."

Judge, who has not played in a game since May 31, has yet to resume baseball activities. Cashman said Judge's status ultimately hinges on what the next imaging of the rib shows. He declined to share when he expects Judge to undergo that scan.

«I can only follow the guidelines so far that the timeline and the timeframe, it's a pretty high likelihood and optimism that he fits that timeframe for him to get back and joins us,» Cashman said. «And that's what I'm hoping and holding on to, and I know that's what he believes and I know that's what the doctors believe. But it's always a moving target, too.

»And until you get closer to the comfort of deployment of, yes, you can start actually doing physical and baseball activities and you're cleared, the healing's enough, etc., that's when you get a much better picture of how much longer this is going to take. So whenever we reimage, we'll get a better idea."

Judge suffered the injury while diving for a ball on April 26 — his 34th birthday — and played through pain for over