Three pressing questions facing Yankees ahead of second half

Three pressing questions facing Yankees ahead of second half

The Post’s Greg Joyce breaks down three questions that the Yankees will need to answer with the season set to resume after the All-Star break:

When does Aaron Judge return?

Since the day they revealed that Aaron Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his first right rib, the Yankees have said that the back-to-back AL MVP is expected to return at some point this season.

Aaron Judge Corey Sipkin for New York Post

But will he, and when, and in what condition?

No one can say for sure just yet, though reimaging this week should give them at least a slightly clearer picture of how much longer they will have to survive without him.

Who are the new guys?

The Yankees will get some help at the Aug. 3 trade deadline, but the question is, how much?

As they begin the second half, their biggest needs are a righty-hitting catcher and at least one high-leverage bullpen arm, if not two.

Austin Wells was one of the worst hitters in the big leagues in the first half while the bullpen, despite owning the majors’ lowest ERA, could use another trustworthy reliever.

Does George Lombard Jr. debut?

Before spraining multiple fingers last month, the top shortstop prospect was picking up steam offensively at Triple-A and potentially starting to push his way into the conversation about whether he could impact the Yankees this season.


George Lombard Jr. of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders runs past first base.
George Lombard Jr. is pictured during a May 5 game for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Arthur Mansavage for the NY Post

Now that he is on the way back from the injured list, can he knock the door down in the second half if José Caballero and Anthony Volpe don’t pick it up?

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