Even though Aaron Judge is going on the injured list, the Yankees breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday.
Aaron Boone said the slugger is heading to the IL with a right flexor strain after missing Saturday’s game against the Phillies. Boone found out before the 9-4 loss, as Judge underwent an MRI, received a PRP injection and some medicine, and visited with the Yankees’ team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad.
Boone called Judge’s absence “a big deal,” but also said the diagnosis is “good news.” That’s because Judge’s ulnar collateral ligament is intact. Boone’s hope is that Judge will only need 10 days on the IL and that he will start swinging a bat “a few days” from now.
Once Judge comes off the IL, the plan is for him to only DH initially. He won’t throw for 10-14 days. From there, he will ramp up before returning to the outfield.
“We expect him to recover,” Boone said when asked if Judge will have to deal with this for the rest of the season.
Judge, meanwhile, felt “upset” and like he is “letting the team down,” but he noted that his injury “could’ve been worse.” Boone said that had Judge continued to play the outfield and throw, he would have “put the UCL in jeopardy.”
“You never want to go in the tube,” Judge said. “That’s never fun. You don’t know what’s going to show up. That’s why I kind of pushed off a lot of the imaging and stuff like that. Because if I don’t know what’s going on, it can’t hurt you, I guess.”
Judge’s health first became a concern on Tuesday in Toronto, as cameras caught him wincing and clutching his right hand in a fist after making a seventh-inning throw. Judge then DH’d on Wednesday, which Boone said was a predetermined plan.
When the Daily News asked Judge about his wince on Wednesday, he replied, “I make facial expressions all the time.” He also said that he didn’t come out of Tuesday’s game and that he’s DH’d when the Yankees have played at the turfed Rogers Centre in the past.
On Saturday, Judge said he actually first felt an issue in Tuesday’s game when he threw a rocket to home plate in a failed attempt to gun down George Springer during the sixth inning. However, he didn’t consider coming out of the game.
“I gotta hit,” Judge said of his reasoning.
Judge homered as a DH on Wednesday, and he felt fine during Thursday’s off day. However, his elbow bothered him in Friday’s loss to the Phillies, as he lobbed several throws in from right field while going 0-for-3 with a sac fly and strikeout.
“I couldn’t throw past 60 feet,” said Judge, who has never had any elbow issues in the past.
Boone noticed Judge’s soft throws in Friday’s game. The two talked early in the loss; Judge gave Boone a heads up that he was compromised. But the manager didn’t feel the need to remove the player from the game because he knew Judge wouldn’t test his arm.
“It didn’t rise to that level, and I knew he could get through the game,” Boone said. “He wanted to go back out and play again today.”
While Boone said Judge isn’t “perfect” swinging the bat just yet, hitting is less of a concern. That’s why Judge wanted to forego an IL stint and start DH’ing right away, but Boone said not providing the 33-year-old with some downtime would delay the healing process.
“I really was reluctant about going on the IL or anything like that,” Judge said. “I was like, ‘If I can hit, let me hit.’”
With Judge set to only DH once he’s back, Boone said Giancarlo Stanton will start getting some work in the outfield. The DH hasn’t played defense since 2023 and has lingering tennis elbows, but he said he’s down for whatever helps the Yankees win.
“I believe that’s going to be for me to be in the outfield,” Stanton continued following a conversation with Boone. “I’ll be working out there this coming week and be ready when needed.”
Stanton wouldn’t have to play a corner outfield spot until Judge gets back. In the meantime, the Yankees have three starting caliber outfielders in Jasson Domínguez, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham.
As for who will take Judge’s roster spot, outfielders Bryan De La Cruz and Everson Pereira are at Triple-A and on the 40-man roster.
Spencer Jones is also with the RailRiders. The prospect, subjected to trade rumors with the July 31 deadline coming, has been tearing the cover off the ball lately, hitting 13 home runs in 19 games since being promoted to Triple-A. However, Jones wasn’t in Scranton’s Friday and Saturday lineups due to back spasms.
Boone said he had yet to think about whether Jones, who is not on the 40-man roster, is in play.
No matter who joins the Yankees’ roster, they won’t be able to replace Judge.
He’s been working on another MVP campaign, slashing .342/.449/.711 with 37 home runs, 85 RBI and a 208 wRC+. The second-place Yankees, already struggling, don’t have to imagine what life without him will be like, as their offense cratered when Judge missed two months with a toe injury in 2023.
That team didn’t make the playoffs, though it also had a far weaker lineup than the 2025 Yankees.
“I think they’ll be just fine,” Judge said.
“We’re going to have to figure it out,” Stanton added. “Everyone’s going to have to step up and be able to weather the storm until he’s back.”
That needs to happen soon, as the Yankees were six games behind the Blue Jays in the American League East immediately following Saturday’s game. The team, plagued by sloppy play and a decimated bullpen, is also 14-23 since June 13.
But with Judge due back in the short-term and the July 31 trade deadline approaching, the Yankees should continue perusing the market for pitching upgrades after acquiring Ryan McMahon from the Rockies on Friday.
Judge certainly expects more moves.
“We’re the Yankees. You hope so,” the captain said. “That’s what the guys upstairs are working on, and they’ll go out there and take care of business. We got a great ballclub already here, and if we add a couple more pieces that kind of fix a couple things, fine tune some things, we’re gonna be right where we need to be.”
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