The New York Yankees don’t expect Aaron Judge to miss a substantial amount of time on the injured list, but it may be a while until Judge plays his customary position in right field.
The Yankees announced Judge would return as a designated hitter shortly after his 10-day IL stint expired.
Judge hit the IL on Saturday with a flexor strain in his right elbow, an injury he reportedly sustained in New York’s road trip in Toronto last week. He has already missed two games, most recently the Yanks’ 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
What Did The Yankees Say About Aaron Judge DHing?
The two-time American League MVP, and front-runner to win the award again in 2025, Judge is also a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder, even though he has not yet won the award.
But the Yankees will need his bat in the lineup, which is why they are likely to ease him back as the DH after spending the minimum 10 days on the IL.
“There’s the feeling that if he just DH’d now, that he probably would not compromise his UCL,” Boone said before New York’s game Sunday, according to ESPN. “Obviously, throwing would. That said, there is a gripping component to it and it’s probably, obviously, not like the defensive side, but probably somewhat affecting him offensively, too.”
Judge went on the IL on Saturday, in part, to protect him from himself, since Saturday was his first missed game of the season. But he is not DHing already, due to Giancarlo Stanton, a fellow former MVP who is New York’s everyday DH and is red hot, since he has a .326 batting average and with six homers and and OPS above 1.15 over his past 14 games.
“Then there’s the [Giancarlo] component, too,” Boone said. “So I think, when you add it all up, this makes the most sense to give this time to calm down a little bit, hopefully heal and then hopefully put us in a better position long term on it.”
Stanton is reportedly not prepared to play the outfield, since he is recovering from preseason elbow tendinitis that cost him the Yankees’ first 70 games. Stanton reportedly is not likely to play the outfield this season unless there is an emergency.
“I mean, not right now, no,” Boone said when asked if he’s concerned about Stanton’s elbows playing the outfield. “We’ll see as we go. He’ll start working out there this week a little bit. Just to be an option if and when Aaron gets back and however long he has to DH until he gets to the outfield.
“So, if there’s things that come up, then we’ll adjust. But I’m not anticipating that.”
What Did The Yankees Say About Aaron Judge Playing First Base?
ESPN’s Jorge Castillo reported Judge would not play first base in his absence, citing an unidentified source.
Judge was a first baseman at Linden High School in Northern California, but according to Castillo, the Yankees do not want to subject Judge to playing a position he hasn’t played in more than a decade.
“Playing the position would be easier on his arm — he said Saturday that he ‘couldn’t throw past 60 feet,’ Castillo reported. “But Judge has never played the position as a professional, and the Yankees aren’t going to ask their superstar to make the difficult transition midseason, though it could be something that is considered in the future.”
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