How long Aaron Judge out? Latest news on Yankees superstar sidelined with 'bone bruise'

The New York Yankees are once again near the top of the standings, but they are currently dealing with an injury to their best player.

Three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge is out of the lineup on Tuesday night as the Yankees host the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians. Judge's numbers are down compared to the past few years, but he is still one of the best hitters in the league and tied for fourth in MLB with 17 home runs.

While the Yankees are deep enough to handle Judge missing a few games, a longer absence would certainly impact New York's quest to win the AL East. However, the Yankees don't seem too worried that Judge will be out too long.

Here's the latest on Judge's injury.

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How long Aaron Judge out?

Judge is out of the lineup on Tuesday against the Guardians, but the Yankees are hoping the star right fielder will be back soon. Manager Aaron Boone said Judge's timeline depends on how he feels over the next few days.

"Hopefully it's a day-to-day situation," Boone said, via Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. "Could be a few days, could be longer. I don't know for sure. It's kind of based on how he's feeling day-by-day, but hopefully we avoided something serious."

What happened to Aaron Judge?

Aaron Boone said that the team doesn't know exactly when Judge first got injured, but Judge has been dealing with a sore shoulder for a few weeks. Over the weekend, though, Judge's pain got worse, resulting in the hitter sitting out on Tuesday night.

Boone officially described the injury as a bone bruise in Judge's right ribs that he is able to feel in his right shoulder. On the field, the injury impacts Judge more when he swings. 

By the way, the Yankees are officially describing Judge’s injury as a bone bruise in the ribs that can be felt in the right shoulder. Boone said it impacted Judge when he swings.

What is a 'bone bruise'?

A bone bruise is an injury that is more serious than a standard bruise, as blood typically gets caught under a bone in the body. It is usually caused by a significant amount of force and sometimes also occurs alongside more serious injuries, like a torn ACL. 

Typical bone bruise return timeline

Bone bruises usually take at least a few weeks to heal and typically require rest and avoiding physical activity. However, it is usually a pain-management issue, so Judge tried to play through the injury, believing he could manage the pain.

It's possible that the Yankees will put Judge on the injured list to give him a full 10 days of rest. As long as this didn't come with a more serious injury, the bone bruise shouldn't impact Judge's long-term prognosis.