Aaron Judge injury update: Yankees outfielder not in lineup Saturday with elbow issue

Yankees star Aaron Judge will not be in New York’s lineup on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies while he deals with an elbow “issue,” per manager Aaron Boone. It will be just the second game the outfielder has missed all season.

The designation comes after Judge underwent testing on Saturday morning for the discomfort he felt in his elbow. Boone said that Judge will undergo further evaluation from head team physician Christopher Ahmad at Yankee Stadium later in the day. Ahmad is a leading Tommy John surgeon.

“He couldn’t really get the ball in very well,” Boone said, via ESPN. “So, [we] felt like we wanted to have him down and get the imaging, get out hands around just what exactly we’re dealing with.”

The pain in his elbow began this past Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays. This let to him being labeled as designated hitter for the next game, though Boone said he was scheduled for the DH appearance. The Yankees were off on Thursday before Judge and company returned to the field for Friday’s series opener against the Phillies.

Judge finished Friday’s opener having gone 0-3 at the plate with a strikeout, which is certainly an uncharacteristically quiet performance from the AL MVP frontrunner. He’s currently batting .342 with a 1.160 OPS — both top in the MLB. His 37 home runs are tied for second, as well as his 85 RBIs.

Already a two-time league MVP, losing Judge at this point in the season ahead of the trade deadline is a massive blow for the Yankees. New York is currently sitting at 56-47 on the season — 5.5 games back from the Blue Jays for the top spot in the AL East. The Yankees currently hold the top spot in the Wild Card race by two games.

If Judge is forced to miss extended time, or worse, it changes to outlook of the season for the Yankees. They do have some insurance given Giancarlo Stanton returned from injury last month. Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger have been consistent pieces to New York’s lineup this season as well. Both are healthy and having strong seasons.

“The things I want is, ‘What do we have here?” Boone said. “Then what’s the course of action? I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself with that. Hopefully, it’s something manageable and we get through it.”