The Boston Red Sox are in the throes of a divisional gauntlet. After losing a three-game series to the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park, the Sox are headed to the Bronx to face the New York Yankees then to Tropicana Field to match up with the Tampa Bay Rays.
On June 4, Boston got word that its upcoming road trip has gotten a bit easier. Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge's injury diagnosis has been updated from a bone bruise with a day-to-day classification to something more serious.
Judge was on June 4 diagnosed with a stress fracture in his ribs, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. The Yankees' initial diagnosis of a bone bruise didn't seem consistent with Judge's symptoms, which included soreness in the chest. The injury will take a long period of rest to heal and the slugger will be reexamined in four to six weeks to check his recovery progress, with a possible return in August or September.
The 2026 season is a rare one for the Sox and Yankees, who play three of their four yearly series in the first half of the season — New York swept from April 21-23, the rivals play again from June 5-7, then again from June 25-28 at Fenway Park. The Red Sox will miss Judge in the two latter series.
Red Sox will catch a break in two upcoming Yankees series after Aaron Judge injury update
Not only will the Red Sox have the unexpected advantage of not facing Judge in their two upcoming series with their rivals, the Yankees will need to keep up their torrid offensive numbers without him. Judge's average has regressed this season, possibly due to his injury, but he's still hitting home runs at about his usual pace. New York's captain has slashed .248/.375/.533 with 10 doubles, 17 home runs and 38 RBI over 59 games this season.
Even without Judge, the Yankees will be no slouch. They still have an American League-leading .761 OPS. They still lead the league with 89 home runs. Ben Rice is having an incredible season with a 1.031 OPS and as many homers as Judge, while Cam Schlittler (1.89 ERA) is a top AL Cy Young Award candidate and Gerrit Cole (2.00 ERA) has looked great since his late-May return from UCL reconstruction surgery.
The Red Sox will need top-notch pitching performances and their recent offensive surge to take a series from the Yankees. A starting pitching lineup of Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez and Connelly Early is a good start, but Boston's bats will also need to keep up.
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