Yankees captain Aaron Judge returns from rib injury, then calf strain ends his season
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The gist
Yankees captain Aaron Judge returned from a rib stress fracture on Sep 9, then a calf strain kept him off the playoff roster.
Judge played just 66 games in 2026, and his leadership is now being questioned.
Background
Aaron Judge is the right fielder and captain of the New York Yankees, described as one of the best players in Major League Baseball and a three-time American League Most Valuable Player. His 2026 season was injury-filled: a right rib stress fracture kept him out from May 31 until September, and a right calf strain then kept him off the Yankees' playoff roster. The topic is trending on two fronts — his return and latest injury, and a debate over whether he should be a tougher leader amid reported attitude issues involving teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr.
How it unfolded
- Sep 9, 2026Judge was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and started in right field, batting third, against the Rockies in the Bronx after being out since May 31 with a right rib stress fracture.
- Sep 23, 2026Judge was announced back on the injured list with what manager Aaron Boone called a "moderate" strain of his right calf; Judge said he planned to be ready for the start of the playoffs.
- Sep 29, 2026Judge was left off the Yankees' American League Wild Card roster against the Red Sox, one week after a platelet-poor plasma injection in his right calf.
- Nov 1, 2026Judge attended the New York City Marathon supporting his wife Samantha, holding their 1-year-old daughter Nora; Samantha finished with an unofficial time of 3:29:44.
- Nov 5, 2026A report said Judge announced personal family news after a historic feat, and a Sporting News article said he was unfairly called out over Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s reported attitude.
Key terms
- injured list
- In MLB, a list that allows teams to remove injured players from the active roster and replace them with healthy players.
- Wild Card roster
- The set of players a team designates for the MLB postseason Wild Card round.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- NJ.com's Randy Miller said Judge is a great teammate but would like to see him be "a little tougher," arguing that some of the Yankees' problems — Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s antics and fundamental mistakes — would stop if he were.
- Caution
- Sporting News' Jon Conahan called blaming Judge for Chisholm's attitude "a bit unfair," noting Chisholm is a grown man who makes his own decisions and Judge can't control him.
- Official
- Boone said before Judge's September return that he was "close to the endgame of being ready to play," and later that Judge would have to get back to running to be a full player.
Still unverified
Samantha Judge's marathon time of 3:29:44 was described as unofficial. A report that Judge announced personal family news after a historic feat gives no details.