Skubal edges closer to return, Yankees lose Aaron Judge again to rib stress fracture

Major League Baseball’s injury picture shifted again with two high-profile storylines: Detroit’s Tarik Skubal took a major step forward in his comeback path, and the New York Yankees were dealt a fresh blow when Aaron Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right rib cage. Separately, the Blue Jays are set to get Dylan Cease back into their rotation timeline this week, underscoring how uneven health availability can be from club to club.

Skubal, the Tigers’ frontline starter and a recent Cy Young winner, is nearing a return after surgery to remove a loose body from his left elbow last month. According to NBC Sports, Skubal made his first rehab start one month after the procedure with High-A West Michigan, pitching five scoreless innings while striking out six batters on 54 pitches. He reportedly touched 99 mph on his fastball during that outing, a detail that matters because it is tied to the “stuff” portion of a return-to-form evaluation, not just general soreness tolerance.

The rehab start also offered a clue about workload management. With a limited pitch count and a clean scoreless inning count, the next question for Detroit will be whether additional outings in the minors follow the same careful ramp. NBC Sports reported that there is a very good chance Skubal is back in the Tigers’ rotation this weekend, which would place his timeline on the faster end of what many pitchers experience following elbow procedures.

For New York, the concern is more complicated because it involves a position player’s durability rather than a pitcher’s controlled progression. The Yankees will be without reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge for at least the next 4-6 weeks, after he left the lineup and was held day-to-day with shoulder soreness before additional imaging changed the diagnosis. NBC Sports reported the rib stress fracture came after specialist evaluation, and that Judge is expected to be reevaluated in roughly the same 4-6 week window, with the club also anticipating a return sometime this season but without a firm timetable.

Judge’s absence reshapes the Yankees’ lineup even before considering the broader performance context. According to NBC Sports, he had been hitting.248 with 17 home runs prior to the latest injury development. Losing him for a multi-week stretch typically affects not only run production, but also lineup protection and the distribution of at-bats among other middle-of-order bats.

In Detroit’s case, the timing of Skubal’s potential return carries standings pressure. FOX Sports reported the Tigers are 26-39 and fourth in the AL Central, which makes every added innings from a front-of-the-rotation ace a practical boost rather than a purely hopeful one. It also keeps the team’s trade-deadline discussion in view, because a healthy Skubal can increase both rotation stability and the value of any decision-makers are weighing for the second half.

The Blue Jays’ pitching staff is facing its own near-term adjustment. NBC Sports reported that Dylan Cease is scheduled to return to the mound for Toronto on Tuesday, a schedule-related development that can influence how the club pieces together bullpen availability across the upcoming series window. At the same time, MLB’s weekly injury reporting continues to include other items, such as additional IL moves around the league, which is a reminder that depth, not just top-end health, will shape outcomes.

What to watch next is the verification of timelines: Skubal’s next rehab outing, or his actual promotion if Detroit follows through on a weekend return, and the Yankees’ internal medical checkpoints for Judge as the reevaluation period approaches. For Toronto, Cease’s next start will be the tell for workload and effectiveness after time away, and for the rest of the league, these updates will likely determine who can run a stable rotation and lineup through June’s stretch.

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