But the 2026 season thus far has seemingly set the Yankees up as favorites to return to the Fall Classic.The American League is, to put it mildly, bad.
There are just five teams over .500, even as we rapidly approach the halfway point in the season.While the Tampa Bay Rays are in first place in the division, the Yankees' deficit is just one game and their run differential at +92 is by far the highest in the AL.Their ace, Gerrit Cole, is back on a big-league mound for the first time since 2024.
Cam Schlitter has been a revelation.Ben Rice, out of nowhere, is suddenly playing like an MVP candidate.But it's no secret that the Yankees' fortunes are dependent on reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge.AARON JUDGE IS ONCE AGAIN ON PACE TO MAKE HISTORY, THREATEN HIS OWN AL SINGLE-SEASON HOME RUN RECORDNew York Yankees' Aaron Judge strikes out during the fifth inning against the Athletics in New York on April 8, 2026.
(Heather Khalifa/AP)Judge has once again been excellent in 2026, though a bit underneath his career norms with a .248/.375/.533 batting line, 17 home runs and a 150 weighted runs created plus and 2.2 wins above replacement.But that all came to a screeching halt when Judge was out of the lineup on Tuesday night against the Athletics.Initially, the Yankees said he was dealing with a bone bruise after reporting discomfort and soreness.
But after being examined by a specialist, it's still unclear how significant the injury is and if there are more "specific" issues he's facing."He’s going back for some more imaging," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters."They just want to get some more specific spots, and so we’ll have more on that later."That implies the injury could be more of a serious problem than the team initially believed or let on.
Boone also added that Judge has been dealing with soreness in his shoulder for "the last couple of weeks," specifically when swinging.ZERO BS.JUST DAKICH.
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