After Injury What The Yankees Can Expect From Aaron Judge In 2026

Highlights:

• Yankee Stadium still matches his pull/loft damage zones.
• September surge after returning to RF suggests the thump is fully back.
• Projection: realistic 48–55 HR band with MVP-level rates.

Aaron Judge just finished a season that should scare the New York Yankees. The two-time American League MVP put up video-game numbers and then he reminded everyone he was human. An aging human who suffered a very concerning elbow injury.

The good news is he heads into 2026 without surgery and with the potential for the same damage profile that cooked pitchers all summer -- if the Yankees can keep him healthy.

Why “No Surgery” Matters

No procedure means he will most likely have a normal offseason. That means rest through the first month or so and then back to work. Even with an extended rest period, he could begin hitting again in January and start timing work, early bat-speed focus, and field reps on his schedule instead of the training room’s.

Judge made a point of getting more at-bats in spring training last year to make sure he showed up in April, maybe he tones that down a bit this year and comes out hot in May.

What The Splits Actually Say

The elbow flare-up was definitely a scare. Remember Giancarlo Stanton lost the first few month od 2025 with elbow tendinititis.

But the good news is, the evidence shows the eblow issue did not take away Judge's power. It reshaped it for a few weeks and then it snapped back once he resumed the full routine.

In August, when Judge was solely a DH after returning from the injured list, he hit .241/.417/.506, .923 OPS, 6 HR in 24 games. The contact stayed strong, but the power was a notch down while he wasn’t throwing.

When he returned to consistently playing right field in September, he looked like himself. He hit for a .376 average, 10 home runs in 26 gamesfor a 1.29 OPS. Once the field routine returned, the thump came back, and the damage to left/left-center spiked again.

By The Numbers: The Damage Profile

Overally, Judge’s 2025 line .331/.457/.688 with 53 HR is another amazing year.

The numbers behind it show he's still strong at 33 years old and dealing with an elbow issue.

His average exit velocity sat mid-95s, his hard-hit rate hovered near 60 percent, and his barrel rate remained strong. The expected outcomes matched the real ones, and that's exactly what you want to see after any midseason elbow scare.