The Judgement is In

As the New York Yankees' season hangs in the balance, all eyes were on Friday's injury update regarding superstar Aaron Judge.

Yankees fans eagerly awaited news on their captain, knowing the report could have a major impact on the team's approach ahead of the trade deadline. If the news had been overwhelmingly positive, many believed General Manager Brian Cashman would be more aggressive in pursuing additions for a postseason run. If it was negative, concerns would grow that New York might be more cautious with its deadline plans.

The update landed somewhere in the middle.

Judge's fractured rib has not completely healed, and the Yankees' slugger has not yet been cleared to resume baseball activities. While it wasn't the encouraging news fans were hoping for, it also wasn't a worst-case scenario.

"I feel good about the fact that he will be back. It's just a matter of when," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. Judge said the rib re-imaging showed “some progress, some healing going on, but not fully healed. So we're still waiting on one more doctor to take a look at it, kind of see how we progress forward the next couple weeks. But definitely a positive sign that we're seeing some healing.”

Judge has appeared in 59 games this season, batting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs. Before landing on the injured list, however, he had hit just one home run over his previous 18 games.

The Yankees were 36-23 when Judge last took the field on May 31 before being sidelined with a stress fracture in his right rib. Since then, New York has gone 18-19 while trying to remain in the American League playoff race without its biggest offensive weapon.

During the All-Star break, Judge underwent another scan that showed partial healing. He said he is now waiting to hear from the team's medical staff regarding the next step in his recovery plan.

While Friday's update didn't provide a timetable for his return, it did offer hope that Judge will be back before the end of the season. For a Yankees team with postseason aspirations, getting their captain healthy remains the organization's top priority.