Judge (rib) set for imaging during All-Star break to map out return

ST. PETERSBURG -- Aaron Judge will have his fractured right rib reimaged during the All-Star break, which should provide a clearer timeline for the Yankees captain’s expected return, general manager Brian Cashman said on Thursday.

Judge has been on the injured list since June 5, at which time the Yankees estimated he would undergo additional imaging in four to six weeks. The Yankees hope that will show enough improvement to resume more strenuous activities.

“I don’t think we’re anticipating it’s coming back clean,” Cashman said. “I think we’re anticipating and hopeful that it’s showing the healing process.”

The Yankees have said they expect Judge to return to the active roster at some point in the second half. Based on the current timeline, August appears to be the best-case scenario.

“The time frame that it would take to heal should allow him to be back with us this season,” Cashman said. “That’s everything I know thus far. Past that, just wait for the imaging to see where we’re at in that process.”

Judge believes he sustained the fracture while attempting a diving defensive play on April 26 at Houston. He continued playing through the injury into late May, when manager Aaron Boone said he had noticed Judge struggling to swing during the club’s series in West Sacramento.

He has largely been restricted to lower-body workouts over the past several weeks.

“His current condition restricts him in a lot of different ways,” Cashman said. “He can’t do a lot of things in the upper body that put any stress on his rib cage. Hopefully, whatever the imaging shows will clear him to start adding some things to his workout abilities now.

“He’s currently limited because you don’t want anything interfering with the healing process of where that injury is. We’ll be able to get a better idea of some things.”

Though the Yankees enjoyed some initial success without Judge, winning eight of 13 games following his IL assignment, they slumped badly to conclude June.

That has spilled into July, with the Yanks having lost 15 of 20 games entering Thursday. New York’s 56 runs scored since June 18 are the Majors’ fewest, and their 212 strikeouts since that date are the Majors’ most.

“Clearly, you miss him,” Cashman said. “That’s certainly part of it. But that’s not an answer to why we’re struggling with some consistently really good players that are going into collective slumps at the same time. That has nothing to do with Aaron Judge.”

Looking ahead

Cashman said the club’s injuries -- which include Judge, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón and others -- will not necessarily affect how they approach the Trade Deadline on Aug. 3.

“I think we’re open-minded at the Deadline to try and improve ourselves, period, end of story,” Cashman said. “We’ll evaluate what’s available and try to push in on anything that makes sense that we can acquire to make us better.”

Cashman said those discussions will intensify after the MLB Draft, but he underlined catching as “an issue, clearly,” as Austin Wells has provided little offensive production. Published reports have connected the Yankees to the Twins’ Ryan Jeffers, among other targets.

Stanton situation

Giancarlo Stanton’s latest right calf injury was not necessarily a setback; it was a completely new strain to the same calf.

Stanton has not played since April 24 at Houston. He had been rehabbing for a June return, then injured the calf again while running the bases at Yankee Stadium. He has again resumed running following a series of PRP injections, according to Cashman.

“He had a new injury, which kind of resets the whole thing,” Cashman said. “It’s an unfortunate circumstance. Certainly, we’d love to have him in that lineup.”

Down on the farm

Top prospect George Lombard Jr. (No. 20 overall, per MLB Pipeline) has resumed hitting and throwing after sustaining a two-finger sprain on his left hand in June. Lombard is expected to play in Minor League games around the All-Star break. It is possible he could make his Major League debut before season’s end.

“He might be a choice at some point,” Cashman said. “More importantly, we’ve just got to get him playing again and turning him loose at Triple-A. He’s a really talented player. He was coming a long way in closing the gap offensively. Defensively, he’s plug-and-play, ready to go.”

The Yankees had been transitioning right-hander Carlos Lagrange (No. 4 NYY prospect, No. 83 overall) into a relief role. Lagrange recently sustained a right capsule strain and will not throw for six weeks, dimming his chances of making it to the big leagues this season.

“The whole purpose of the transition was it gave us enough time to evaluate what it looks like out of the pen, and maybe even get him up here before the Deadline at some point,” Cashman said. “It just wasn’t meant to be.”