Yankees Aaron Judge questions wont be going away anytime soon

Aaron Judge was finally placed on the 60-day injured list Saturday, mostly a procedural move to free up a spot on the 40-man roster.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

But it was another reminder of just how much time Judge will miss due to a fractured right rib that’s sidelined him since the end of May.And even after Judge underwent more testing Wednesday, which showed some healing, he’s still not able to resume baseball activities.Aaron Boone said Saturday that Dr.Gregory Pearl, the rib specialist who gave Judge the initial diagnosis, agreed he’ll still be limited, with the manager adding Judge needs to be “asymptomatic” before he can resume upper-body workouts.When that happens is anyone’s guess, although Boone said there was some encouragement in that Judge’s pain has gone from “sharp” to “more dull.”All of this means the Yankees will have to survive for some time longer, as he figures to need at least several weeks after he’s healthy to get back into the lineup.It’s possible he won’t be back until September, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be at full strength.

That means the questions surrounding the Yankees — and their lineup — won’t be going away anytime soon.The Yankees have continued to be mediocre at best in his absence.They are just 18-20 since Judge got hurt after opening the season 36-23.That drop-off brings back memories of 2023, when the Yankees missed the playoffs largely because Judge was sidelined with a torn toe ligament after slamming into the wall at Dodger Stadium.Boone has said this roster is deeper than the one three years ago and that outside of a stretch when the Yankees lost nine of 10 from late June to early July, “for the most part, we’ve played well.”But cracks have become apparent.It was true again in the team’s first game back from the All-Star break Friday, when it scored just one ru...