In a moment of relief for New York Yankees fans and teammates, captain Aaron Judge learned on Saturday that he has a flexor strain in his right elbow, but fortunately, there is no acute damage to his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). This news comes after Judge underwent an MRI, leading to his absence from just the second game this season, a 9-4 defeat against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Following the MRI results, Judge received a platelet-rich plasma injection and will be placed on the injured list. However, he is optimistic about making a swift return to the field, aiming to be back in action within 10 to 14 days, likely starting as a designated hitter. “You never want to go in the tube. It’s never fun. You don’t know what’s going to show up,” Judge remarked, expressing his initial reluctance to undergo imaging. “That’s why I kind of pushed off a lot of that imaging and stuff like that because if I don’t know what’s going on, it can’t hurt you, I guess.”
Despite his injury, Judge continues to lead Major League Baseball with a remarkable .342 batting average and an astonishing 1.160 OPS. He has already hit 37 home runs and driven in 85 RBIs this season. The Yankees had a strong start, opening up a seven-game lead in the AL East by late May, but as of Saturday, they found themselves 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed relief over the diagnosis, stating, “All in all, we got good news today. I think all of us kind of feared the worst.” Boone had been particularly concerned given Judge's reputation for toughness. The captain had informed Boone about experiencing throwing difficulties during Friday's game against the Phillies. “I couldn’t throw past 60 feet,” Judge explained, highlighting his desire to avoid jeopardizing the team's pitching staff.
Boone learned of the MRI results just before Saturday's game while team officials were conducting further evaluations. The manager emphasized the importance of healing Judge's strain, stating, “With that strain, if you go out there and play with it, you put the UCL in jeopardy, so we got to get that healed up.”
As the Yankees navigate this challenging situation, it remains uncertain whether highly regarded prospect Spencer Jones will be called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Judge is unlikely to throw for the next 10 to 14 days, after which he will need additional time to rebuild his arm strength before returning to the outfield. “I really was reluctant about going on any IL or anything like that,” Judge noted. “I was like, ‘If I can hit, let me hit.’” He anticipates that he will start DHing once the 10-day period is over.
In the meantime, Giancarlo Stanton, who primarily serves as the team’s designated hitter, will begin workouts in the outfield to prepare for potential positional changes. Judge first noticed discomfort during the sixth inning of a game against the Blue Jays when he attempted a strong throw home to prevent a run from scoring. Despite his efforts, the runner successfully beat the tag, and Judge was later seen wincing after making a catch and throwing to second base.
“He’s about as tough as they come, and for him to even show any vulnerability or pain,” Boone commented. “I knew we had an issue probably. And so any time you can fear the worst with that, but that’s why you wait to react, though. ... We got the MRI and got a clear diagnosis with it.”
