“That Ain’t Great” – Yankees Fan Rich Reacts to Aaron Judge’s Rib Injury & Extended IL Stint

Just as the Knicks were ascending, Aaron Judge slid into an MRI machine, and the Yankees lost their big toe for at least four to six weeks.

That was Rich's framing on the show, and it lands because it's accurate. One door opens, another closes. The same day the Patriots acquired AJ Brown, David Ortiz was out defending John Henry. And now, while New York basketball fans are riding high, New York baseball fans are staring at a stress fracture of Judge's first rib and a timeline that could stretch well beyond that initial estimate.

Rich noted that Judge had likely been playing through this since May 3rd, when he crashed into the right field wall as Max Fried gave up a deep fly ball. The wincing was visible. The numbers reflected it too. Judge was hitting .250 over those final weeks, a number Rich pointed out with a cleared throat and a knowing pause, a significant drop for a player of his caliber.

CT scans, MRIs, X-rays, multiple doctors. All of it. The result: thoracic outlet syndrome remained a question, but what they landed on was a stress fracture of the first rib. Four to six weeks minimum. And as Rich noted, maybe the rest of the season.

So what do the Yankees do without him? Rich's answer was direct: the pitching better hold up. He sees reason for cautious optimism there. Fried coming back, Strittmatter and Cole from the right side, Rodon from the left. If that rotation can scratch out three or four runs and get adequate bullpen support, the Yankees stay relevant. But Rich acknowledged the bullpen concern is real, especially when you watch teams like the Brewers and the Padres running out young arms at 100 miles an hour, one after another.

The relief situation matters more now. Rich flagged LaGrange, a converted starter now in the pen, as someone the Yankees should be deploying in a closing role. "Let's get this guy out here throwing smoke," Rich said. "Let's have him hitting corners and looking like Miller if you can." He paired that with a note that the 2025 situation is not 2023, when the Yankees lacked starting pitching depth. The arms are there. The path forward is cleaner.

The American League isn't running away from anyone right now. The Rays have started coming back to the pack. The Yankees' job, as Rich laid it out, is simple on paper: stay within reach, keep the pitching strong, use the trade deadline to address the bullpen, and get Judge back healthy.

"Just get Judge back," Rich said, "keep within handling distance, and who knows? Maybe they can start winning some baseball games."

That ain't great, as he put it. But it's not over either.