Former MLB GM Warns Yankees May Be Downplaying Aaron Judge’s Elbow Injury

The Yankees may have avoided the doomsday scenario with Aaron Judge’s elbow, but not everyone is convinced the situation is as clean as the team is making it sound.

On Monday, former MLB GM Jim Bowden threw a bit of cold water on the Yankees’ narrative that they “dodged a bullet” with Judge’s latest injury. Speaking on MLB Network Radio’s “power Alley”, Bowden dissected the team’s carefully worded update, especially their claim that there was no “acute” injury.

“That doesn’t mean there’s no damage,” Bowden said. “It just means it’s not fresh or traumatic.”

Bowden compared it to the comments the Yankees made when Gerrit Cole suffered an elbow issue in 2024. The 2023 Cy Young winner didn’t need Tommy John surgery then, but it eventually caught up with him this year. 

The Yankees have a long history of downplaying Judge’s injuries. 

Bowden also pointed out that the Yankees quietly admitted Judge had had a platelet-rich plasma injection. A PRP treatment is typically reserved for healing ligaments and tendons, further fueling the speculation that the Yankees may be downplaying something more serious.

Those concerns were echoed by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who offered a cautious forecast on Judge’s return.

“The hope that the Yankees have right now is that the injured list stint can be held to the 10-day minimum,” Passan said. “Is that a realistic thing? We’re about to find out… quite often a flexor strain is a precursor to a UCL sprain or tear.”

Passan emphasized that flexor injuries are notoriously tricky. While some clear up with rest in a matter of weeks, others drag on or signal something more ominous, like the need for Tommy John surgery down the line.

The first indication of Judge's injury was Tuesday night in Toronto when he was caught on camera wincing in pain after throwing the ball in from the outfield. Initially, the Yankees denied any issue, but revealed it on Saturday.

The plan is to have Judge come back and DH until the elbow is healed, because he said there was no pain when he hit.

Yes, the Yankees may have avoided the worst for now. But it may be far too soon to call this over.