BOSTON — Aaron Boone had a chance to calm the worry around Aaron Judge. Instead, he offered four words that did the opposite.
Asked Friday whether the Yankees captain was nearing the next stage of his recovery, the manager would not commit to a timeline. He suggested Judge has not even reached the point where the club can map out what comes next.
For a fan base counting the days, that answer landed hard. Judge has not played since May 31. The original expectation pointed to a roughly six-week absence. The Yankees are now four weeks in, and the finish line looks no closer.
The captain’s status sits at the center of everything for a first-place team trying to hold on without its best hitter.
Boone’s words leave everyone worried
New York has leaned on vague language for weeks. On Friday, before a 6-1 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park, Boone gave the clearest sign yet that the wait will stretch on. Yankees reporter Bryan Hoch relayed the manager’s response when asked about Judge’s progress.
“I don’t know,” Boone said, per Hoch. “We’re probably not ready to go down that road yet, with where he’s at.”
The phrasing matters. Before a player starts a minor league rehab assignment, he must first resume full baseball work, including hitting, throwing, running and defensive drills. Boone’s comment suggested Judge has not yet reached that ramp-up stage.
That places multiple steps between Judge and a return. It also makes a pre-August comeback harder to picture. Under an optimistic read, Judge would need to begin baseball activities within two to three weeks, then move to a rehab assignment late in July before rejoining the lineup.
What the injury actually is
The diagnosis explains the caution. Judge is dealing with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side. New York initially described the issue as a bone bruise before tests revealed the fracture.
Boone has said Judge did not know exactly when the injury happened. The pain showed up in his right shoulder, but only when he swung, and Judge had managed it for weeks before the Yankees shut him down.
The numbers underline the loss. Judge was hitting .275 with 16 home runs and a 1.047 OPS through 43 games before the injury, production that anchors the entire lineup. He is a three-time American League MVP and the player opposing pitchers plan around first.
Boone has stayed firm on one point. He has repeatedly said he expects Judge to return in 2026, pointing to the medical reads behind that confidence even as the team withholds a date.
A banged-up roster keeps waiting
Judge is not the only star the Yankees are missing. The injury report reads like a lineup card.
Giancarlo Stanton has been out since April 24 with a right calf strain. There is some movement there. Boone said Stanton has started low-volume workouts and is a bit further along, though his running progression remains the open question. Stanton was batting .256 with three home runs in 24 games before the calf flared. He suffered a setback running the bases on June 11, and imaging on June 15 showed a re-injury of the calf. A July return remains possible.
Trent Grisham offers the nearest help. The outfielder has been out since June 13 with a moderate right hamstring strain. He rejoined the team at Fenway Park and has resumed baseball activity, with a rehab assignment possible if his next step goes well. Grisham owns a .270/.305/.586 line with nine homers across 52 games overall, though his mark in 16 games with the Yankees sits at .194 with no homers.
Left-hander Max Fried, a key rotation arm, could face live hitters early next week, Boone said, though that step is not yet locked in.
Where the Yankees stand without their captain
The remarkable part is how well the Yankees have held up. They entered Saturday at 48-33, atop the American League East and owners of the best record in the American League. On the road, they have gone 26-18.
That cushion is why the front office can preach patience. A team in first place has the room to let Judge heal fully rather than rush him into a compromised return. Boone has framed every update around protecting the long view, with an eye on October rather than July.
Still, the offense is not the same without him. His presence reshapes how pitchers attack the lineup, and his absence has pushed players like Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger and Jasson Dominguez into larger roles. The Yankees have covered the gap. They have not replaced him.
The trade deadline adds another layer. With Aug. 3 approaching and several stars in flux, the Yankees must decide how aggressively to shop while their lineup runs short-handed. The clearer Judge’s timeline becomes, the easier those calls get. Right now, that timeline is the problem.
For now, the Yankees wait. Boone’s Friday answer did not move Judge any closer to the field. It only confirmed how much recovery still lies ahead before the captain is back in pinstripes.
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