New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge has been diagnosed with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side, the team announced Thursday, according to Gary Phillips of NY Daily News Sports.
Judge will need a period of rest and limited activity to recover from the injury. The Yankees will re-evaluate him in about four-to-six weeks to determine his level of healing and the appropriate next steps. The three-time AL MVP is expected to return at some point this season.
The 34-year-old has been out of the lineup for New York's past three games. Yankees manager Aaron Boone originally said that Judge was dealing with a bone bruise in his rib.
The seven-time All-Star met with a specialist to get more clarity on his injury.
Judge, who topped 50 home runs in each of the past two seasons, has 17 homers in 59 games this year while batting .248.
