Aaron Judge returns to the Yankees lineup after elbow injury
TOI World Desk | TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Aug 05, 2025, 21:08 IST
( Image credit : AP )
Highlight of the story: Aaron Judge is making a comeback to the New York Yankees lineup on Tuesday. He was out due to an elbow injury. Judge will be the designated hitter. The Yankees have lost four games. The team hopes his return will improve their performance. Austin Slater is going to the injured list. Giancarlo Stanton will not play outfield.
New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge will be activated from the injured list on Tuesday, the first day he is eligible, in a critical boost for the struggling team as it continues a three-game series against the Texas Rangers.
Judge, who has been out since July 25 with a flexor strain in his right elbow, is expected to serve as designated hitter upon his return, according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone. The team hopes his presence can help reverse a troubling stretch in which New York has lost four consecutive games and slipped to third place in the American League East.
“Judge tomorrow,” Boone confirmed Monday night after the Yankees’ 8-5 extra-innings loss to Texas. The manager did not elaborate further but had previously said Judge would likely start as DH before resuming duties in right field, depending on his recovery progress.
Judge, a two-time AL Most Valuable Player, was batting .342 with 37 home runs and 85 RBIs before the injury—numbers that continue to rank among the league’s best. An MRI revealed no acute damage to his ulnar collateral ligament, and he received a platelet-rich plasma injection on July 27, the day after he was placed on the 10-day injured list.
After two days of batting practice against minor league pitchers at the Yankees’ training complex in Tampa, Florida, Judge joined the team in Texas for Monday’s series opener but did not speak to reporters after the game.
The Yankees are expected to have an open roster spot for Judge’s activation, as newly acquired outfielder Austin Slater is heading to the injured list with a left hamstring injury. Slater exited Monday’s game in the second inning after running out a ground ball. He had joined the Yankees last week via trade from the Chicago White Sox.
Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, who launched his 10th home run of the season in Monday’s loss, has filled the DH role in all 32 of his games this year after missing the first 70 games due to tendon inflammation in both elbows. Boone indicated Stanton would not play the outfield in Texas if Judge occupies the DH slot.
Judge first reported discomfort in his elbow on July 22 in Toronto following a throw home from right field. Cameras later captured him clenching his right fist after making a play in the outfield, signaling continued discomfort.
The Yankees, who led the AL East at the beginning of July, have since fallen 5 1/2 games behind the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays and 2 1/2 games back of Boston in the wild-card standings. Their record since June 13 is 18-28.
When asked whether the team’s slump was taking a toll, Boone acknowledged the pressure.
“Doesn't matter,” Boone said. “Nobody cares how stressful it is. That's all just noise, excuses, whatever. We've got to play better, and we've got to win, and we know that.”
With 49 games remaining in the regular season, the return of their star slugger could be pivotal for the Yankees’ postseason hopes.
Judge, who has been out since July 25 with a flexor strain in his right elbow, is expected to serve as designated hitter upon his return, according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone. The team hopes his presence can help reverse a troubling stretch in which New York has lost four consecutive games and slipped to third place in the American League East.
“Judge tomorrow,” Boone confirmed Monday night after the Yankees’ 8-5 extra-innings loss to Texas. The manager did not elaborate further but had previously said Judge would likely start as DH before resuming duties in right field, depending on his recovery progress.
Judge, a two-time AL Most Valuable Player, was batting .342 with 37 home runs and 85 RBIs before the injury—numbers that continue to rank among the league’s best. An MRI revealed no acute damage to his ulnar collateral ligament, and he received a platelet-rich plasma injection on July 27, the day after he was placed on the 10-day injured list.
After two days of batting practice against minor league pitchers at the Yankees’ training complex in Tampa, Florida, Judge joined the team in Texas for Monday’s series opener but did not speak to reporters after the game.
The Yankees are expected to have an open roster spot for Judge’s activation, as newly acquired outfielder Austin Slater is heading to the injured list with a left hamstring injury. Slater exited Monday’s game in the second inning after running out a ground ball. He had joined the Yankees last week via trade from the Chicago White Sox.
Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, who launched his 10th home run of the season in Monday’s loss, has filled the DH role in all 32 of his games this year after missing the first 70 games due to tendon inflammation in both elbows. Boone indicated Stanton would not play the outfield in Texas if Judge occupies the DH slot.
Judge first reported discomfort in his elbow on July 22 in Toronto following a throw home from right field. Cameras later captured him clenching his right fist after making a play in the outfield, signaling continued discomfort.
The Yankees, who led the AL East at the beginning of July, have since fallen 5 1/2 games behind the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays and 2 1/2 games back of Boston in the wild-card standings. Their record since June 13 is 18-28.
When asked whether the team’s slump was taking a toll, Boone acknowledged the pressure.
“Doesn't matter,” Boone said. “Nobody cares how stressful it is. That's all just noise, excuses, whatever. We've got to play better, and we've got to win, and we know that.”
With 49 games remaining in the regular season, the return of their star slugger could be pivotal for the Yankees’ postseason hopes.