Judge and the Yankees are still in a waiting game, hoping for a clear injury diagnosis soon.

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge missed the starting lineup for the third consecutive game today, with the team's medical staff still striving to clarify the nature of the injury affecting the captain.

Judge has been dealing with persistent discomfort over recent weeks, initially diagnosed as a bone bruise near his right ribs. He received an MRI on Wednesday in Dallas, Texas, under the care of Dr. Gregory J. Pearl. Dr. Pearl's clinic website indicates his expertise in "management of thoracic outlet syndrome in high-performance athletes." Judge stayed in New York, where he had further tests on Thursday, including X-rays and a CT scan. Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted that edema, or swelling, has complicated efforts to identify the root cause of Judge's injury.

"Look, these are smart people in their field, and he's several states away," Boone said. "We just have to be patient." The Yankees hope to rule out thoracic outlet syndrome, a diagnosis that usually ends a season. Although the condition is more common among pitchers, first baseman Jared Walsh (2022) and catcher Mike Zunino (2022) have also suffered from it.

Boone is also among those growing increasingly anxious waiting for answers. He said that during the team's 2-1 win over the Guardians, he left the dugout to seek the diagnosis but was told the team was still awaiting a final opinion from a specialist. "I promise you, as soon as we know, we'll tell you," Boone said.

After reporting discomfort during the team's series against the Athletics in West Sacramento, Judge has missed his first game of the season since Wednesday. In his absence, the Yankees have used José Caballero and Max Schuemann in right field during this series against Cleveland. The team still holds out hope that the three-time American League MVP might avoid landing on the injured list. "We're hoping that's possible," Boone said.

"Aaron means a lot to us, of course," Gerrit Cole said. "He always plays great baseball and brings a lot of energy. It's always tough when a player gets hurt, but unfortunately it's part of the game. As a team, you have to find a way to step up in these situations, and we will."

According to Boone, Judge has been dealing with right shoulder discomfort over the past few weeks, though he only feels pain when swinging. Since the team left West Sacramento, Judge has not spoken to reporters. Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. said Judge has maintained a positive attitude in the clubhouse and dugout. "I've never seen him negative, never," Chisholm said. "Honestly, he's the same every day. I think he's handling it really well." Boone said Judge could not pinpoint the specific play in which the discomfort began.

Since May 11, Judge has gone 14-for-68 (.206) with just one home run, eight RBIs, and 19 strikeouts. Overall this season in 59 games, he has a slash line of .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs. In 2019, Judge suffered a serious injury to his right ribs. During a diving catch in a September game that year, he sustained a stress fracture of the right first rib and a partial lung collapse.