Aaron Judge Elbow Issue Reignites Talk of Injury-Prone Reputation

Aaron Judge is out of the Yankees lineup Saturday, and it’s not just a day off.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed that Judge is dealing with an elbow issue and underwent imaging Friday night. The team is still waiting on results, but it’s another uneasy moment for a player who, for all his power and presence, has missed significant time throughout his career.

The discomfort first surfaced Tuesday in Toronto, when cameras caught Judge wincing after a throw from the outfield. Boone downplayed it the next day, slotting him in as the DH, but now the concern is back.

And here’s the real issue: this is all too familiar a feeling for Yankees fans.

Judge has landed on the injured list multiple times in his career. He missed 45 games in 2018 with a fractured wrist, 60 games in 2019 with oblique and shoulder strains, and 32 games in 2020 due to calf issues. In 2021, he stayed mostly healthy. But in 2023, toe and hip injuries limited him to 106 games and helped sink the Yankees’ season.

Too often, Judge's trips to the injured list are preceded by Aaron Boone downplaying any issue. The Yankees become more secretive than the NSA when it comes to Judge's health.

Early in his career, Judge gained an unfair reputation for being injury-prone. Some questioned whether a player his size could physically hold up over a full season. Since then, Judge has been noticeably reluctant to talk about any physical issue, often brushing off questions about pain or fatigue. It's part pride, part survival. He knows the narrative. And he’s tried to control it by staying on the field.

Now 33, Judge has played in about 100 games this year and has been the heart of the Yankees' offense. He leads the league in OPS and is once again putting up MVP-level production.

But every time he’s out of the lineup, the fear creeps in.

Saturday marks just his second full day off this season. But the fact that it’s tied to elbow discomfort and requires testing is a full-scale, red-alert concern. 

Without Judge, the Yankees' 2025 season outlook is bleak. 

Judge’s July wasn’t quite his MVP peak, but it was still elite. He had a .288 average, five homers, and a 1.089 OPS. His season line remains ridiculous. He’s hitting .342 with 37 bombs and 85 RBI. The bat hasn’t faded, according to Baseball Savant; he’s still hitting the ball hard.  

The only question now is how much that elbow starts to matter.