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Aaron Boone Changes Stance on Yankees’ Aaron Judge Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Josh Valdez | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 9:54 PM ET

The New York Yankees have been through a chaotic journey since Aaron Judge went down with a right elbow injury in July. They then went 4-6 before the generational superstar returned on August 5, but he wasn't back in full capacity.

Judge has been exclusively a designated hitter, and will continue to be until he's fully healed. The 33-year-old is far enough in his rehab to hit, but New York is being cautious with his throwing.

Manager Aaron Boone told WFAN on August 19 that Judge won't "throw normally" again for the rest of the season, but the future Hall of Famer later dismissed that claim , via The New York Daily News' Gary Phillips. Boone then admitted his comments were "overstated," and he offered a different outlook before Thursday's bout with the Chicago White Sox, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

Judge will continue his outfield/throwing work, and Boone said, "We'll see where that leads." He added that he thinks the AL MVP candidate will return to the outfield this season.

Judge's condition has caused New York to shuffle the lineup. Giancarlo Stanton is occupying his teammate's right field spot part-time after not playing defense since 2023, with Cody Bellinger and trade deadline acquisition Jose Caballero also taking reps at the position.

However, Judge's return to the field would allow the oft-injured Stanton to go back to designated hitter. The only question is if it's worth risking his long-term health.

Aaron Judge is continuing his outfield/throwing work this week. "We'll see where that leads," Aaron Boone said. Asked if he believes Judge will play the outfield this season, Boone replied: "I do."
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) August 28, 2025

Aaron Judge's Outfield Return Will Doubly Benefit Yankees

New York should insert Judge back in right field full-time as soon as the training staff gives the green light for two reasons. One is that the seven-time All-Star is still an excellent fielder, as he has just one error in 80 games this season. Stanton had yet to commit a gaffe entering Thursday, but his younger counterpart is faster and more athletic at this point.

Additionally, putting Stanton back at designated hitter full-time would not only be the safest option for him, but it would also allow the Yankees to play him every day. While rotating the slugger in and out of the lineup helps preserve him for the postseason, the team could use his bat every day. He was slashing .313/.388/.663 with 17 homers and 46 RBI over 51 games entering Thursday.

Up next for New York is three more games against Chicago before continuing its road trip against the Houston Astros.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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