Judge Advances: Threw to the bases, but returned to the outfield uncertain

Aaron Judge Progresses in Recovery, But Return to Outfield Remains Uncertain

Aaron Judge, Yankees star, has taken another step in his recovery from a strain in his right arm flexor. For the first time since the injury, Judge threw to the bases at Yankee Stadium. However, the timing of his return to right field remains a mystery. The current American League MVP has deferred questions about his return schedule to the club’s coaches, who are unavailable to answer the media.

The main thing is that we want to do this the right way. And as much as he wants to be there and we want him to be there, we have to make sure we do everything we can to not re-injure him.

Aaron Boone, Yankees Manager

Since returning from the injured list on August 5, Judge has served as the daily designated hitter due to the injury. This has forced the Yankees to put Giancarlo Stanton in right field, a position he hadn’t occupied since September 2023, in order to include both hitters in the lineup. Stanton, who has been dealing with leg injuries, doesn’t move easily and has limitations in the field. Despite this, he has been one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball since the beginning of July, with a .317 average, 16 home runs, and a 1.134 OPS in his last 38 games. Manager Aaron Boone has emphasized the importance of being cautious with Stanton, given his relevance to the team. The situation presents a challenge for the Yankees, who want to have both hitters in the middle of their batting order, but Stanton’s defense is a weakness. Furthermore, rushing Judge back to the outfield could lead to a serious injury that ends his season. Judge has described the feeling of pain after throwing as similar to that of running after a hamstring injury. He is receiving “quite a bit” of treatment, but defers details to the training staff. For him, not being able to play defense is “brutal”.

I am a baseball player. I want to play on both sides of the ball and go out there and make plays defensively, helping my team. I know hitting is important and all that, but I feel like I can impact this team on both sides, so I can’t wait to get back.

Aaron Judge

Although Judge is batting only .218 with three home runs and an OPS of .804 in 16 games since he was activated, he insists that the elbow has not affected his hitting. On Sunday it represented progress, as he threw from about 150 feet. Although he was not throwing at 100%, he assured he felt “good”.

The main focus, according to Boone, is to ensure that Judge continues to heal and doesn’t get hurt. It’s not clear at what level Judge will return to the game, but the goal is to give him every opportunity to heal and protect him from injury.