Aaron Judge Injury Update: Can Spencer Jones Fill The Void For The Yankees?
Both the Yankees and fantasy owners were dealt a crushing blow with news of Aaron Judge's rib injury. He has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his upper right rib and will be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks. After that, it will likely take him up to two weeks to a month to ramp up after being cleared for baseball activities.
Breaking: Aaron Judge has been diagnosed with a stress fracture on the first rib on his right side, the Yankees announced Thursday.
- ESPN (@espn) June 5, 2026
He will be reimaged in approximately four to six weeks. pic.twitter.com/h60NTEQveY
Even in the best-case scenario, fantasy owners should be prepared to be without Judge until at least August and even possibly September. The Yankees could replace him with a rotation of players. Since the injury took place, they have been rotating between Jose Caballero and Max Schuemann in right field, but they are expected to call up prospect Spencer Jones to be the long-term replacement until Judge is ready to return.
Fantasy Impact
OF Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
There is no replacing Judge if you were depending on him for your fantasy team. He's an all-time great hitter with historic power, and a player like that is irreplaceable. However, fantasy owners are going to have to do their best to piece together enough production to keep themselves afloat until he returns, and hope he hits the ground running and comes back in time for the fantasy playoffs.
We would not advise trying to buy low on him, but it is also definitely too soon to cut him. However, if you are fighting for a playoff spot, we would suggest you shop him. If you get an offer you like from a team that believes they are already locked into the playoffs, you should pull the trigger and get what you can for Judge. He's the kind of star someone might overpay for in the hopes of adding him for the fantasy playoffs.
OF Spencer Jones, New York Yankees
This is a massive opportunity for Jones. If Judge comes back ready to roll for the American League playoffs, this could end up being a blessing in disguise for the Yankees if they find something special in Jones.
For fantasy owners, if you own Judge, you should be rushing to the waiver wire to acquire Jones. There is no doubt that he will come with significant risk, but there is a chance that you can catch lightning in a bottle with an impressive prospect with a huge opportunity falling into his lap.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Aaron Judge Injury Update: Can Spencer Jones Fill The Void For The Yankees?.
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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 3:14 PM.