Aaron Judge Jun 18, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) walks first base after being hit by a pitch during the third inning by Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Albert Suarez (49) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees will soon welcome Gerrit Cole back to the team after missing the entire season thus far due to injury. However, when one door opens, another one shuts. In this case, it’s Aaron Judge who will miss at least Wednesday night’s matchup against the Baltimore Orioles.

The 2022 American League Most Valuable Player is noticeably absent from the Yankee lineup produced on Wednesday. Judge hurt his hand during Tuesday night’s game against the O’s after being hit by a pitch. He stayed in the game momentarily but eventually left. X-Rays were negative, but his presence won’t be felt.

YES Network reporter Meredith Marakovits reported the news Wednesday afternoon on Judge’s status, which included an update on Judge’s prognosis from manager Aaron Boone.

“Aaron Judge is not in tonight’s lineup,” Marakovits wrote. “Boone said he considers him day-to-day.”

Judge had caught fire for a Yankees team that owns the best record in MLB. He has 26 home runs and leads MLB in fWAR at 5.0 on June 19. Pretty impressive. The Yankees will surely miss his impact in the lineup, and for their sake, it’s a brief time away.

[Meredith Marakovits]

About Chris Novak

Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022