Yankees get big Jasson Dominguez update, but other injury situations are up in the air

Aaron Judge is undergoing more imaging on Thursday as he seeks another medical opinion, which has Yankees fans down bad. Believe it or not, most have stayed strong as the team weathered other injury situations, but Judge will be the dealbreaker.

As for other names who are laid up at the moment, we have Jasson Dominguez (shoulder), Giancarlo Stanton (calf) and Max Fried (elbow), whose absences have directly affected the 2026 campaign.

Let's start with the good news. It's Dominguez who is progressing nicely. He took live batting practice at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday and will begin a rehab assignment on Friday. If Judge hits the injured list, Dominguez will get the call whenever he's ready for action. The Yankees need him and will prioritize him over Spencer Jones.

Dominguez crashed into the left field wall back in early May and was diagnosed with a sprained AC joint. The progress he's made is actually impressive when you consider what's been happening with Stanton and Fried.

Giancarlo Stanton and Max Friend still don't sound like they're close to returning to Yankees

Remember when Stanton was "cleared to run" last week after MRI results finally gave him the green light? Well, he's still not running! According to Yankees insider Bryan Hoch, Stanton is jogging and partaking in agility drills.

He's stayed fresh with consistent hitting drills and batting practice, but he needs to begin running for there to be any hope of a return in the near future. He suffered the injury on April 28 and there's still no clear timetable. We guessed mid-June, but we're not so sure that's a reality any longer.

And then there's Fried, who was "hopeful" to make his next start after leaving the Yankees' May 13 game against the Orioles. He's dealing with a bone bruise in his left elbow and has been out of action for three weeks. He's been throwing at 75 feet and will increase to 90 feet "soon", but that doesn't really tell us much. He'll need a proper build-up and a rehab assignment before rejoining the rotation. That probably takes us to the end of June, if we're being conservative.

The Yankees need to be cautious with two of their prized assets, but it's all just terrible timing with Judge staring down the barrel of a lengthy absence and the offense failing to produce enough runs against some of the league's better pitching. Half of the Yankees lineup is well below average, so they're not equipped to operate with somewhat of a skeleton crew. Hope, is all.

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