Aaron Judge: Elbow surgery in the off-season? Yankees in uncertainty.

Aaron Judge Considers Surgery After Yankees Elimination

After the Yankees defeat against the Blue Jays, right fielder Aaron Judge did not rule out the possibility of undergoing surgery on his right elbow during the offseason.

“We will definitely work on it,” Judge said. “We will do something and fix it.”

Aaron Judge

Does this mean surgery?

“I am not a doctor. I don’t know,” Judge replied.

Aaron Judge

Judge, 33, suffered a flexor strain in his elbow in late July, which interrupted another season that was shaping up to be MVP-caliber. Unable to throw without sharp pain, he was placed on the injured list. He returned exclusively as a designated hitter on August 5 while rehabilitating from the injury. A month later, although still limited, he returned to right field with the Yankees in a tight playoff race. He split his time between right field and designated hitter until September 23, when he started the final six regular season games for the Yankees and seven postseason games in the outfield. Judge’s arm strength improved, throwing a 90.2 mph pitch, slightly higher than his average in 2025, in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Blue Jays, but remained engaged. The arm issue didn’t affect Judge in the batter’s box. After winning the batting title with a .331 average along with 53 home runs during the regular season, Judge recorded the best individual postseason of his career. Highlighting his three-run home run that tied the game off the left field post at Yankee Stadium in Game 3, Judge hit 13-26 (.500) with an OPS of 1.273, four walks and seven RBIs in 31 plate appearances in the Yankees’ seven playoff games. But the performance couldn’t prevent the Yankees from being eliminated in the American League Division Series after a 5-2 loss in Game 4, extending the franchise’s championship drought to 16 seasons.