July 27: The Yankees announced this morning that Judge has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right flexor strain. Infielder Amed Rosario is replacing Judge on the roster after he was acquired from Nationals last night.
July 26: Yankees superstar Aaron Judge underwent testing earlier today due to what the Yankees termed an “elbow issue,” and manager Aaron Boone relayed the results of that testing to reporters this afternoon. As relayed by several reporters including Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Boone revealed this afternoon that Judge is suffering from a flexor strain. He’ll need to be placed on the injured list and will be limited to DH-only duties for a time upon his return, but Boone added that there is no tear in Judge’s UCL and described the diagnosis as “good news.”
ESPN’s Jorge Castillo was among those to relay that Boone suggested it’s “possible” that Judge could be back in the lineup as a DH after a minimum ten-day stint on the shelf, at which point he could begin a throwing program with an eye towards returning to the outfield later on. Castillo adds that Boone noted he’s already spoken to incumbent DH Giancarlo Stanton about getting some outfield reps while Judge occupies the DH slot upon his return. Jon Heyman of the New York Post added that the ideal scenario for the Yankees is that Judge misses ten days on the IL, then serves as the club’s DH for ten more days before returning the outfield in just 20 days total. It’s an aggressive timeline that would put Judge back in right field on a regular basis in the middle of August.
Flexor strains are often a precursor to UCL damage but can typically be resolved with rest, with the exact amount of rest necessary dependent on the severity of the strain. With such an aggressive timeline being discussed at this point, it seems likely that Judge is dealing with a relatively minor strain. With that being said, the Yankees’ top priority is surely to avoid damage to Judge’s UCL that could require surgery. It would be a surprise if the club was willing to rush their generational talent back to the field before they were completely certain that he won’t cause further damage to his elbow by continuing to play.
Whether Judge will ultimately return to the roster after just a minimum stint and be back in the outfield shortly thereafter or he’ll require a longer absence, the fact that Judge shouldn’t require surgery is surely cause for relief among the Yankees faithful. Even so, any time missed by the reigning AL MVP will be a tough blow given his singular importance to the team’s lineup. Always a prolific hitter, Judge has unlocked another gear to his game since the start of the 2022 season when he crushed an AL-record 62 homers and won his first MVP award. He was limited to just 106 games by injury in 2023 but delivered another MVP performance last year that was more or less identical to his 2022 campaign. This year has been more of the same so far, as he’s slashed an unbelievable .342/.449/.711 while leading the majors in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits, and total bases as well as both bWAR and fWAR.
Losing that caliber of hitter would hurt for any lineup, but it’s especially damaging for a Yankees position player corps that has gotten up-and-down performances from other key hitters like Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and Ben Rice. Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Jasson Dominguez should be able to handle things in the outfield while Judge is out of commission, but it’s undeniable that Dominguez’s league average bat is a huge step down from the elite offense Judge has offered. While no one can reasonably be expected to replace an MVP candidate, it’s possible that reinforcements from the minors (or even another club ahead of the trade deadline) could help to soften the blow over the coming days.
Top outfield prospect Spencer Jones has been raking in his first taste of Triple-A action this year and might seem like a logical choice to replace Judge on the roster, but Jack Curry of the YES Network writes that Jones missed last night’s game for the RailRiders because of back spasms. That could leave fellow Triple-A outfielders Everson Pereira and Bryan De La Cruz as the most likely options to step up in Judge’s place, particularly given that both are already on the club’s 40-man roster. It wasn’t too long ago that Pereira was in the top-100 prospect conversation, and while injuries have sidelined him in recent years he’s posted a strong .256/.353/.516 line in 300 Triple-A plate appearances this year. De La Cruz has less impressive numbers, but does boast a longer track record in the big leagues.
With Judge expected to return this season and potentially do so without even spending very long on the injured list, it’s unlikely that his injury will cause the Yankees to pull back from their plan of buying in the coming days as they look to catch the Blue Jays in the AL East. It’s not out of the question, however, that the club could have more interest in adding further additions to the offense in the wake of today’s news even after trading for third baseman Ryan McMahon yesterday. Speculatively speaking, a versatile hitter capable of helping out all over the diamond like Twins utility man Willi Castro or versatile Cardinals hitter Brendan Donovan (the latter of whom New York was recently connected to) could be very attractive as a short-term boost to the outfield mix while Judge recovers who could then shift to the infield mix long-term.
Dont worry guys we got Ryan McMahon good thing we’re dumpster divers at the deadline
I was shocked they traded for him with his K rate and avg away from Coors
McMahon will be better with lineup protection. Plus he’s replacing Peraza and Vivas, whose OPS+ are 27 and 46, respectively. Oh, and Gold Glove caliber defense.
we still coping about this guy? its a $300M roster we shouldnt be stoked that he can be below average at the plate simply bc he has the arm for 3B lol
Lmao.
Lineup protection.
I haven’t noticed any teams pitching around McMahon.
You really think leaving Coors is going to help him?
Maybe check his splits.
Check dj’s before and after he left the Rockies
Poisoned Pen: He will. Unless, of course, he isn’t.
Wishful thinking. You must be a real Yankees fan.
You trolling Begamin? He’s a credible league average solution to the 3rd base black hole. It’s been a rough year for sure but you’re just piling on with McMahon.
Not trolling. If the Yankees wanted to see any chance at winning a ring McMahon was not the one to get. You might as well be sellers at the deadline if you wont get an actual needle mover. Him simply being an upgrade because the position was so bad before isnt enough
lol DJ was a much better hitter, McMahon has never even been an average hitter.
lol dusty, dj had bad home and away splits before going to the Yankees and then became a better hitter lol…
wire, DJ was a batting champ in colorado. mcmahon has never had a league average season in colorado
DJ had a 128 OPS+ in 2016 in Colorado which is his second best year behind his 136 for the yanks in 2019.
DJ was a better hitter than Ryan, so saying that DJ handled leaving coors well so Mcmahon will too doesn’t make much sense to me
I thought McMahon was the owner of WWE.
They probably aren’t going to win this year with or without an impact guy at 3rd. It would be stupid to get Suarez watch him have a crash back to earth and still not win the WS. McMahon is a solid dude who can hold down 3rd with a mostly market rate contract for 2.5 years.
I’m not saying he will handle it as well, I’m saying you can’t just look at his away numbers and say that’s the hitter you have going forward.
Well, the wife of the WWE owner parlayed that background into being the Secretary of Education. A perfectly reasonable judgment in the mind of the biggest idiot on the planet.
Wishful thinking that McMahon is going to be better than Peraza and Vivas? Have you ever watched a baseball game? He’s played two games and he’s already been more productive, in the field and at the dish.
Shocked? Really? Cmon…they’ve been eyeing McMahon for years now. It was inevitable
Spencer Jones audition time.
He’s not on the 40-man roster. Yankees would have to make moves on both the 40-man and 26-man to select his contract.
Better trade for Luis Robert Jr. before he is gone!
Cal Raleigh MVP, MVP, MVP now !!
Big Dumper will be the AL MVP 65 HR season.! you’ve been struck off the bench Judge Judge
Tommy John?
No tear in ligament, so NO.
Not yet.
No, Aaron Judge
Dodged a massive bullet on this one
Still a bad time to be a judge in this country.
This is going to spark something big…
Especially with the supreme Court correcting so many wrong rulings from the lower divisions lately.
The Supremes have reached new lows when it comes to corruption, arrogance and failing to do their jobs.
thank goodness Diana Ross is still going strong then.
Jean Terrell, too.
That’s a pretty lame comment bud. Failing to do their jobs? Lol wut?
yeah but you have to DH him now and play Stanton in the field, his elbows are all wack too. You lose one of them and you cant trade either.
Its a bad situation.
This is where Luis Robert, Adrian Hauser, Aaron Civale and Mike Vasil for Jorbit Vivas, Trent Sellers, Henry LaLane and Ricky Matic fits in.
Judge was showing signs of discomfort a couple nights ago in a game against the Blue Jays. I don’t understand why it took the Yankees 2 days to have Judge undergo further testing. This front office and medical staff are incompetent.
Same staff allowed Rizzo to play punch drunk in’23.
Dude that was insane. I felt so bad for Rizzo
Ended his career prematurely. Rizzo ought to sue the Yankees for lost wages.
did the same with jasson
Because they’re so advanced they’ve gone full circle to the back of the line. When Boone was asked, his response was, “It hurt when he threw, but it seemed fine on our off day…”
No way! It was fine on your off day?! That’s incredible….almost like his elbow issue didn’t hurt him when he wasn’t throwing a baseball! Amazing, Dr. Boone, truly amazing.
What’s wrong with selling off some players and rebuilding the farm team. Goldy, Grisham, and more probably not coming back. The Yankees refuse to trade players, and they leave with zero in return. Why can Boston trade a Devers and Betts, and nobody cares. Take a step back to move forward. They sold Chapman and Andrew Miller one year. Why not try again.
People in Boston cared very much about the Betts trade and they still complain about it to this day. Also you would probably be underwhelmed when you find out what little value the Yankees pending free agents have.
Red Sox fans cared quite a bit. We cried when Betts was traded and cheered when Devers was traded.
It’s time to sell sell sell anyone and everyone. Let’s go Cashman, earn your money, and restock the farm teams. Sadly, the Yankees have very few players that interest other teams. Sell Grisham, Goldy, Bellinger, Williams, the list goes on and on.
How can the team leading the WC race have “very few players that interest other teams”? If the Rockies and White Sox have players that are of interest to other teams, then surely the GD New York Yankees have players that are of interest to other teams. You named four without even trying.
I think this dude has money of the railriders winning the AAA world series this year.
Ok, its a definite. You are a troll and not a Yankees fan. We dont give up ever. Go back to whatever team you crawled from.
I hate the Yankees but I hate this more… get better soon Aaron.
nobody needs your fake sympathy
How is it fake sympathy to wish individual players well?
it isn’t. But its contradictory here. While I’m sure he doesn’t want him injured, he does not wish him well as a ballplayer.. As a vitriolic yankee hater, he naturally wants all yankees to fail, including Judge. He doesn’t want Judge to be productive and help the NYY win ballgames. I’m just pointing that out.
I honestly am rooting for judge to break records and win another MVP
if that’s true, then good on you, bro FR
4 out 5 doctors recommended my sympathy. Checkmate loser!
Dude, he was expressing how a lot of us feel. It’s not fake, no need to be so angry and contrary in life.
Haha
Praying that he doesn’t need Tommy John! Rest up Aaron! Bring up Spencer Jones, he deserves it!
They’ll trade for Luis Robert before bringing up Spencer Jones (who isn’t even on the 40-man roster).
good news. now bring up Jones
Good news? Stop.
I think he meant good news that they’re hopeful for a minimum stay/no Tommy John for now.
Guess Stanton better dust his glove off, unless of course Manfred decrees that the Yankees may use 2 DH’s in the same lineup
We’ll call it the “You’re not Ohtani, but we still bent the rules to accommodate you rule”
How do some baseball fans not get that a rule named after a player doesn’t mean that the said player is exclusively applied to it?
Yanks are in trouble. His absence is going to hurt.
They were already in trouble. This is well beyond trouble!
Everyone wants to rush these young guns (Jones) to the Show. Be patient and promote them when they are ready. Ask the Nats about Crews and the Royals about Caglianone? Hitters take a little more time than Pitchers
i agree with your general point but jones is 24. he has nothing left to learn in the minors (unless it’s possible to learn how to not strike out 38% of the time)
It isn’t about “learning” in AAA. It’s about not exposing your prospects and destroying their value.
of course
they’d be crazy to bring him up before the deadline his value might never be higher than this week
Dasit: Jones was a pitcher in college and lost time to the covid shutdown. For his advanced age he actually doesn’t have a ton of pro ab’s.
There’s a possibility Jones could be facing much inferior quality pitching (even for AAA) so that would not translate well to the major leagues. You gotta make sure that hitting prowess is transferable to the big leagues. Or else he will be humbled very quickly
Anthony is younger than the others and seems to be doing fine
Stanton in the field upon Judges return could be entertaining.
Aaron Judge is one of the few professional athletes that everybody likes & respects regardless of which team he plays for. Let’s hope he’s able to return after the minimum stay on the IL. The Yankees need to play this one smart and probably DH him for the rest of the season. There have been way too many examples of flexor strains with “no damage to the UCL” resulting in TJS. Stanton will need to play somewhere in the OF until he goes on the IL himself, at which time Spencer Jones should get the call to the big leagues. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see NY add another OF by the trade deadline. Not a superstar but someone who is slightly above average like Randal Grichuk or Lordes Gurriel Jr.
Couldn’t agree less with that first sentence.
The vast majority couldn’t agree more. You are proof there’s always one.
Hi. I’m the vast majority and I like Aaron Judge. Seems like a solid guy.
Until October when his own fans boo him mercilessly lol
How many of those fans would like to see Judge playing elsewhere? I saw my two older brothers in nasty fights when we were young. They still loved each other.
Aaron Judge ain’t your bro
True, but you are a troll.
Based on your last 2 comments, you’re either 12 or low IQ.
I’m pretty sure I have at least 50 IQ points and 30 years on you.
How many players that go on the 10 day disable list actually come back after 10 days. Not very many. Even if they want him to DH I bet it is closer to 30 days before we see him hitting again and even longer to appear in the OF.
Hate to see this. Let’s hope it’s only 10 days.
if the yankees continue to flounder the next 10 days will be interesting to see if the team becomes more (we need help!) or less (we’re not good enough anyway so why risk it?) aggressive with his timeline
Seems to me the Yanks better hope Stanton gets on a hot streak.
He is hot
“Strain” = “tear”. I hope he comes back soon, but not too soon for his arm to heal properly.
The Yankees as constructed right now are a terribly flawed team…..they still can’t hit with runners in scoring position, play very questionable defense, and have a bullpen that is made up of castoffs from other teams that Cash Dempster dives for……Cash and Boone need to go and we need new eyes guiding this team and making the player decisions……
Excellent Post
Can’t say I know enough about Yankees to make any overall comment but looking at a team right now clinging to a 2 game lead over Texas for a playoff spot, already trending down 3-10 in last 10 (maybe longer) and now losing Judge for at least 15 games? With the possibility of even more games lost, what is the chance that Yankees can even go .500 over last 58 games?
I’m not trolling – I’d say the same for any team in same situation losing a huge portion of their offense while trending down already.
You’re 100% right..I love the Yankees, but presently constructed as you said..they aren’t even a .500 club.
Assuming the internet is right, 11-14 in last 25 and exactly .500 on last 50. Strength of schedule is in the lower half but still, any offense losing what Judge brings to the lineup just got a lot worse. Even if the replacement does good – it’s a lot worse than Judge’s numbers.
@rocky7..This sounds just like the Braves.
While this may end up being good news, it’s important to note that Jackson Jobe and Gerrit Cole both had flexor strains as well and ended up getting Tommy John. Obviously for Judge, it wouldn’t be as big a deal as he could still hit but this is something that I’d keep him out for at least a month just to be sure.
Yeah, he will probably end up getting it in the off season, this injury very often eventually turns into a full tear and TJS.
Nothing to lose by rehabbing it and moving to DH to see how things transpire. If they go into the tank he will probably just shut it down and get the surgery. Would probably be good to go next year.
If Judge has to DH for the rest of the season, they gunna have a Stanton problem….
Then DFA Stanton and eat the contract.
Uh oh spaghetti
Well, good luck next year
Boone – he’s avoiding tjs and ucl surgery and will be back on the mound in no time
Press – judge doesn’t pitch
It’s the Yankees, time to buy more players just to waste a playoff spot. Can’t wait for Year 16 in a row of no World Series titles! Losers only won the crummy AL by default last year with an easy road and the fact that they shelled out a ton to rent Soto.
So this will be his out when he goes 1-7 2BB and bounced in early October
Knowing Dr. Boonedoggle, they will rush him back. This won’t end well for Error in Judgement.
Pereira and De La Cruz are both in tonight’s lineup in AAA. I think Jones is on his way up, so long as the back spasms are as non-serious as reported
He done
Yankees are in real trouble! they trail the blue jays by 6.5gms and now Judge is going on the DL.Theres a chance the Yankees will miss the playoffs and the Boone will be searching for a new team to manage
So what you’re suggesting is that for many Yankee fans some good could come out of this if Boone gets canned?
I can see that.
As a Red Sox fan I don’t like seeing any big draw card for MLB get injured. Judge is fun to watch and is good for the game.
Just give Big Dumper Cal the MVP and call it a season
When Judge comes back are the Yankees really going to try to move Stanton back to the OF?
I highly doubt that. Stanton has a 145 OPS+ so they can’t afford him having a leg injury. If he hasn’t regressed by then, he’ll get a spot OF start here and there and do a lot of pinch hitting and play some late innings on the field.
Boone said Judge will not play in the OF when he returns. So where does he play if not DH? With Judge at DH where does Stanton play if not OF?
Stanton sits most of the time.
Boone had Stanton working out in OF and Yankees announcers said yesterday that with Judge not being able to throw Stanton would be playing in the OF when Judge returns.
Stanton will come down with a mysterious injury ( guessing calf injury) that puts him on the 10 day IL so he can come back just as Judge goes back to fielding
Trade idea:
Yankees Send Jazz to St Louis with a pitching prospect such as Brendan Beck and then send Ben Rice, Ian Hamilton, and Marcus Stroman to Padres in a 3 team trade. St Louis sends Yankees Brendan Donovan and relief pitcher Ryan Helsley. Padres send Dylan Cease to Yankees and Padres send a pitching prospect to St Louis.
Yanks get:
Donovan for second
Cease
Helsley 8th inning guy
St Louis gets:
Jazz
Brennan Beck
Top 5 pitching prospect from Padres
Padres get:
Ben Rice
Hamilton
Stroman
This Yankee teams window is shutting quickly
Could we see a move to 1st base for Judge similar to Harper. I know Harper had surgery on his elbow so his elbow injury was more serious, but the Yankees can’t risk losing Judge long term.
After trade deadline the real severity of his injury will be announced