New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) looks on from the dugout during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

On deck

Tonight: Los Angeles Dodgers at Pittsburgh, 6:40 p.m.

Pitchers: Dodgers LHP Eric Lauer (2-5) vs. Pirates RHP Paul Skenes (6-5)

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

Radio: HANK-FM 96.1

The reigning MVP and Cy Young Award winners in the American League are both on the injured list.

One is on his way back, the other went on the IL just in the last few days.

Aaron Judge has a stress fracture in a rib that will keep the slugging outfielder out of the lineup for the New York Yankees for a while. The Detroit Tigers have been without ace Tarik Skubal for over a month, but he threw five innings in a rehab appearance for Class A West Michigan on Sunday.

Even though Skubal might be back soon, you’d rather be the Yankees than the Tigers right now. New York has taken advantage of a Tampa Bay slump and now trails the Rays by percentage points atop the AL East. Detroit, meanwhile, is 12 games under .500. The amount of mediocrity in the AL means the Tigers are by no means out of postseason contention, but they are tied for last in the AL Central even after winning five of their last six.

The last time Skubal pitched was April 29. Since then, Detroit is 12-23.

Judge has played at least 148 games in four of his last five seasons. The one time he didn’t — 2023 — the Yankees missed the playoffs. They’ve lost three of their last five without him this month.

While Yankees and Tigers fans anxiously await the chance to watch Judge and Skubal again, here are a few other significant injuries that could affect postseason races:

n Cal Raleigh, Mariners. After his 60-homer season last year, Raleigh is batting just .161 with seven home runs in 2026, and he’s been out since May 13 because of a right oblique strain. Raleigh has been doing pregame work but will likely need a rehab assignment before returning. Seattle still leads a weak AL West without him.

n Elly De La Cruz, Reds. The star shortstop went on the IL last Monday with a right hamstring strain. The timeline to return was 2-4 weeks. Cincinnati is in last place in the NL Central but just 2.5 games out of a wild card.

n Francisco Lindor, Mets. New York’s shortstop is out with a left calf strain and hasn’t played since April 22. The Mets have been better of late but are still five games out of a wild card.

Elsewhere in MLB:

n The Seattle Mariners placed shortstop J.P. Crawford on the 10-day injured list with a right hand contusion and recalled infielder Ryan Bliss from Triple-A Tacoma. Detroit starter Framber Valdez hit Crawford in the third inning of Friday’s game, and the 31-year-old missed the final two games of the series against the Tigers. The IL move is retroactive to Saturday. Crawford is hitting .228 with 23 RBIs in 55 games, and his 10 home runs are already the third most in his career.

n The Baltimore Orioles placed right-hander Chris Bassitt on the 15-day injured list with low back discomfort and recalled Trey Gibson from Triple-A Norfolk to take Bassitt’s place in the rotation against the Seattle Mariners. Bassitt, who is 4-4 with a 5.27 ERA in his first season with Baltimore, gave up three runs in three innings in his last start Wednesday at Boston. Gibson is 1-0 with a 3.65 ERA in three appearances with the Orioles.

n Athletics third baseman Max Muncy has come off the injured list after missing about six weeks with a fracture in his left hand. The Athletics announced before their game against Milwaukee in Las Vegas on Monday night that they had reinstated Muncy. They optioned infielder Darell Hernaiz to Triple-A Las Vegas. He last played on April 25. Muncy is batting .239 with a .308 on-base percentage, two homers, seven RBIs and two steals in 26 games.

n Outfielder Max Kepler, still serving an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, agreed to a contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks for a prorated share of the $780,000 minimum and the chance to earn $500,000 in roster bonuses. Kepler can start a minor league assignment Wednesday. If no Arizona games are postponed, he would be eligible to play for the Diamondbacks on June 25 at St. Louis. He would be ineligible to appear in the postseason this year. Kepler tested positive for Epitrenbolone, a metabolite of Trenbolone that’s contained in some products used in body-building stores and has been used in products to promote cattle growth.

n Over the weekend, a trade between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers took place that sent former top pitching prospect Antoine Kelly to Chicago in exchange for cash considerations. The 26-year-old Kelly signed a minor league contract with Los Angeles during the offseason after spending the last several seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system.

The left-hander impressed during Cactus League play with Los Angeles, hurling 9 2/3 scoreless innings back dcuring, but was unable to duplicate that success with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets, where he’s walked 18% of batters faced with a 5.16 earned-run average and a 6.38 FIP number.