The New York Yankees are 64-51 heading into an off day on Thursday before beginning a weekend series against the Atlanta Braves.
They currently own the second-best record in a wide-open American League, but their legitimacy as contenders appears to depend heavily on the health of superstar Aaron Judge.
During Thursday’s episode of “First Take,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith highlighted several alarming statistics comparing the Yankees’ offense before Judge landed on the injured list to their performance since he last played on May 31.
Smith Addresses Yankees Struggles Without Judge
It’s obvious Judge is the team’s best player. There’s no denying that the Yankees perform differently with him in the lineup compared to when he’s unavailable.
However, without Judge, the Yankees have played like a .500 team, going 28-28 since his last game while ranking among the worst offenses in MLB during that stretch.
“Let me throw these numbers at you Jeff Passan, that I know you know… when Judge was healthy through May 31, the Yankees were 36-23 and second in the American League. Since he’s been down, since June 1 with a rib injury, they’re a .500 team at 28-28,” Smith said.
“When Aaron Judge was healthy they were giving you 5.2 runs a game. Since he’s been out, they’re giving you 3.9 runs a game. Their batting average was .243, it is now .219 since June 1, dead last in the majors. Their on-base percentage was .334 when Aaron Judge was there, since June 1, they’ve had .283, dead last in Major League Baseball… one player, one player, Jeff should not have that kind of an impact,” he added. “That collateral impact on a team especially when there’s a team like the Dodgers that you’re chasing. The fact that the Yankees are so reliant on this one person to be above decent concerns me.”
“The fact that the Yankees are so reliant on this one person in order to be above decent concerns me.” @stephenasmith shares his concerns about the Yankees without Aaron Judge 😳 pic.twitter.com/pmo31i9hlp
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 6, 2026
Yankees’ Other Injuries
While Judge is the Yankees’ most notable injury, he’s certainly not the only player they’ve missed.
Giancarlo Stanton has been sidelined for more than two months, Cody Bellinger recently landed on the injured list, and the pitching staff is currently without Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil.
Despite all the injuries, the Yankees remain firmly in the playoff race. If the season ended today, they would hold the top American League Wild Card spot, although the surging Boston Red Sox sit just 1.0 game behind them.
Stephen A. Smith Reveals Concerning Reality for Yankees Without Aaron Judge