Judge Absence Looms as Yankees Vs White Sox Begins at Yankee Stadium

The Yankees opened yankees vs white sox on June 16 at Yankee Stadium without Aaron Judge in the lineup, and the absence removed their central bat from a team that entered at 43-27. Chicago came in at 38-32 after a shocking series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Judge Misses Another Start

Judge has been out since June 2 with a rib injury and remained sidelined indefinitely for this matchup. The Yankees rely heavily upon his bat, so the lineup against the White Sox looked different before the first pitch even arrived.

New York’s card put Ben Rice at first base leading off, followed by Cody Bellinger in left field, Paul Goldschmidt as the designated hitter, and Jazz Chislom Jr. at second base. Spencer Jones hit fifth in center field, with Jose Caballero, Ryan McMahon, J.C. Escarra, and Anthony Volpe filling out the bottom half against White Sox righty Gerrit Cole.

White Sox Keep Same Shape

Will Venable stayed with the same White Sox lineup he used Sunday against the Yankees, and the group leaned lefty-heavy against Cole. Sam Antonacci led off in left field, Miguel Vargas hit second at third base, and Andrew Benintendi followed as the designated hitter.

Colson Montgomery batted fourth at shortstop, Braden Montgomery hit fifth in right field, and Chase Meidroth handled second base. Jacob Gonzalez, Tristan Peters, and Drew Romo rounded out the order as Chicago tried to keep the same approach after the Dodgers series win and into a tougher road test in New York.

Yankee Stadium Lineup Pressure

The first pitch was set for 6:05 CT, with both teams trying to carry early-season momentum into a game shaped by one missing superstar. For New York, the pressure was obvious: play without Judge and still protect a strong record. For Chicago, the task was to cash in on a rare opening against a Yankees lineup built around a different set of names.