BRONX, NY — Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees’ captain and two‑time American League MVP, was ruled out of Saturday’s 9‑4 loss to the Phillies with a right forearm flexor strain. Fortunately for the Yanks and all of Major League Baseball, imaging revealed no damage to the UCL, avoiding the specter of Tommy John surgery.
Still, Judge is headed to the 10‑day injured list retroactive to July 26th and will resume his return first as a designated hitter before likely returning to the outfield.
How Judge’s absence impacted the weekend series vs. Phillies
Right when the Yankees needed him most, battling back from a mid‑June slump that carried into July, sitting six games back of the Blue Jays in the AL East division, the 33-year-old’s injury hit hard. Leading MLB in batting average (.342), OPS (1.160), runs, RBIs, and total bases, Judge also had 37 home runs—third most in MLB—before the injury. Losing that offensive force hurt spectacularly despite the Bronx Bombers winning the series finale on Sunday, 4-3.
The Phillies took the three-game weekend set in the Bronx, two games to one – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Judge first felt pain after a throw during Tuesday’s game in Toronto and attempted to gut through it but visibly struggled with tosses by Friday night and was unable to make an outfield throw exceeding 60 feet.
“I wasn’t able to throw the last couple of days,” Judge said to the media Saturday afternoon. “I wanted to take the off-day and see how it went. I was pretty adamant about playing (Friday). It just came down to a point where if I need to make a play for the team, I’m going to do it. I got (the elbow) checked out, got the news, and we go from there.”
Manager Aaron Boone noted, “He (Judge) basically said, ‘I couldn’t throw.’ That kind of sums it up”
On Sunday morning, the Yankees placed Aaron Judge on the 10-day Injured List – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Short‑term Fixes
- Optimize depth: Giancarlo Stanton, Amed Rosario and Ryan McMahon
- Stanton will begin outfield reps and is prepared to fill in, though hasn’t played defensively since 2023
- Rosario, acquired Saturday from the Washington Nationals, joins as a versatile bat and glove option in both infield and outfield roles
- McMahon, the newly acquired third baseman, already made a positive debut with a single and walk, and will need to remain steady amid added pressure
- Beef up the Bench and Bullpen
The Yankees realized their thin bench and bullpen vulnerabilities amid this stretch. They’ve shown interest in St. Louis Cardinals’ utilityman Brendan Donovan according to reports, though a trade seems unlikely, and instead, installed Rosario and promoted lefty Brent Headrick to lengthen options.
Amed Rosario was acquired by the Yankees in a trade with the Nationals on Saturday night – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
Relief arms also need trimming, particularly given a 6.22 ERA in July in close games with runners in scoring position.
- Eyes on the Trade Deadline: Thursday, July 31 at 6:00 PM ET
With Judge sidelined, trade deadline urgency increases even more for general manager Brian Cashman. The front office has already made defensive upgrades with McMahon and Rosario, and so it goes next, reportedly, is a move in the bullpen, and possibly an additional right‑handed utility bat.
Judge’s flexor strain removes not just a superstar bat but also his elite defense and leadership at a critical juncture. The Phillies series underscored the offensive gaps as the Yankees couldn’t keep pace when the captain was sidelined.
The Yankees scored 13 runs over the weekend series while allowing the Phillies to record 24 – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
To blunt the short‑term impact, New York must:
- Deploy Stanton, Rosario, Cody Bellinger, and Trent Grisham for defensive/offensive cover
- Add bullpen heat and bench depth while exploring timely trades ahead of Thursday’s deadline
If Judge returns in about 10-14 days as expected, healthy at the plate and if New York shores up behind him, the Yankees remain dangerous across the American League (57-48 overall, good for an AL Wild Card spot, 5.5 games back from Toronto for the AL East division lead).
The Yankees will look to keep pace in the division and Wild Card standings without Aaron Judge on the 10-day IL – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
“Guys are going to step up. That’s what it comes down to,” Judge said. “The last couple of years, we had guys get banged up, hurt. I always go back to that 2019 team where I feel everybody got banged up. We had so many guys step up, play bigger roles. It’s what they sign up for coming into the season.”
“I expect the same thing for the (current) guys, especially now. We have the Trade Deadline coming up. We made a big acquisition getting (Ryan) McMahon here. He is going to help us win a lot of games. Guys are going to step up and do their job.”
Essentially, the trade deadline strategy and depth usage in this span could determine whether Judge’s absence becomes a season‑changing blow or a temporary hiccup.
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