The New York Yankees are still in limbo as they wait for Aaron Judge’s flexor strain in his right arm to heal fully. Yankees manager Aaron Boone delivered the latest — and most concerning — update during appearances Tuesday morning on WFAN and Jomboy Media’s “Talkin’ Yanks” podcast.
Boone told WFAN that the Yankees are trying to get to a place where Judge can throw with ease while also being able to protect himself. Judge is currently following a structured throwing routine — similar to what pitchers do when rehabbing before returning to the mound. He has moved from a routine catch-and-throw session to throwing from 150 feet, according to the latest update.
Boone said he does not expect Judge to play right field during the two-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays beginning Tuesday night. He also added that he doesn’t know if the two-time American League MVP will play the outfield in the four-game series against the Boston Red Sox this weekend. However, even if Judge returns to the outfield in 2025, it does not sound like he will be 100 percent.
“I don’t think we’re going to see him back to throwing like he normally does at any point this year,” Boone said. “We got to feel like he can go out there and be able to protect himself and represent himself.”
Boone had a similar response on the “Talkin’ Yanks” podcast: “He’ll probably have to play a little bit with a governor on it. But we’re not going to put him out there until he can go out there safely and do it right.”
Later in the afternoon, Boone walked back his comments slightly while speaking to reporters at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “Maybe that’s a little (overstated),” he said.
“I don’t know why he said that,” Judge said when asked about Boone’s comments. “He hasn’t seen me throwing the past two weeks. So, I’m pretty confident I’ll get back to that.”
Judge initially sustained his injury on July 22 in Toronto. YES Network’s cameras caught Judge grimacing after a throw from right field; Judge said he hurt his arm earlier in the game and not on that specific throw.
Since then, Judge has not returned to the outfield. When the Yankees placed him on the injured list, Boone said imaging revealed “no acute injury” to Judge’s ulnar collateral ligament. After returning to the lineup as a DH on Aug. 5 against the Texas Rangers, Judge’s production has not been at his normal levels. In the 11 games since, Judge has an .855 OPS with two home runs, a double and six RBIs.
“Not really,” Judge said about concerns of eventually playing. “But I’m not stupid. I’m going to be cautious with it and make sure we don’t make it worse. You’ve got the rest of August and September and October. I’ve got to be out there for all those games. Got to be smart with it. I’m not going to be out there and be reckless, just like a guy who pulls a hamstring and you don’t expect him to go out there and run 120 percent on the first ball that he gets or first base hit he gets.
“So, it’s about being smart and being ready so we can go out there and put out the best team.”
Encouragingly, Judge’s bat speed before sustaining his arm injury and since returning from the IL remains consistent at 76.9 mph. However, there has been a significant drop in Judge’s contact quality metrics since his return. His wOBA has fallen from .498 pre-injury to .363 post-injury. His average exit velocity has decreased from 95.7 mph to 92.5 mph. His barrel percentage has dropped from 27.3 percent to 11.5 percent.
Giancarlo Stanton will play right field at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Tuesday night. With Judge not able to play right field, the Yankees have had to play Stanton in the outfield for the first time since 2023, a move that was unexpected entering the season.
Judge’s situation may remind Yankees fans of an injury situation that didn’t have a satisfactory ending — Aaron Hicks’ elbow ordeal in 2019. At the time, the team initially reported Hicks’ UCL was intact following a flexor strain diagnosis. Just three months later, he underwent UCL surgery and faced an eight-to-10-month recovery timeline.
(Photo: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)
