While it’s not ideal for Aaron Judge to hit the injured list, the New York Yankees were worried for the worst when their captain had to undergoing imaging in his throwing elbow.
Aaron Boone told the media that the imaging revealed a flexor train, but that the UCL was still intact, so while he’ll hit the injured list, the expectation is he’ll return to the field this season.
Giancarlo Stanton has already been approached about getting work in the outfield, and Aaron Boone said that they’ll see how things work for him before getting him in-game action.
The manager iterated that Judge would be able to DH in the next 10 days if all goes as planned, but even the short-term loss of their captain will present some interesting questions about their current slump.
Aaron Judge Avoids Potential UCL Tear, Yankees Prepared to Get Him Back in DH Role Soon
The Yankees will miss Aaron Judge for the next 10 days at the very minimum, but they could get him back sooner than later if he heals well.
Aaron Boone seemed to be very relieved about the news they received about the imaging, as Aaron Judge didn’t have a tear in his UCL and the current diagnosis is a flexor strain.
It’s similar to what Jazz Chisholm dealt with last season when he was placed on the IL after a slide against the White Sox that many feared could be a torn UCL as well.
For the Yankees, this is a massive bullet dodged, as a prolonged injury (or even worse, season-ending) injury could be a direct shot to their playoff chances.
When he does return, it’ll be in a DH role, which presents the question of how Giancarlo Stanton will hold up in right field.
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Giancarlo Stanton has been a dynamic hitter for this offense, hitting seven home runs since returning from the IL and anchoring the middle of their offense.
The Yankees cannot afford to bench their slugging DH while he has a .532 SLG% and 147 wRC+, and they’ll have him work in the outfield for the first time since 2023.
In right field he posted -3 DRS and -2 OAA across 239.1 innings, as his defense from Miami has regressed mightily due to a loss of speed an overall athletic abilities.
New York will live with bad defense in right field to keep their tall sluggers in the offense, and while the team still needs to claw out of a horrendous slump, they can breathe a sigh of relief for now.
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