Aug 29, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) warms up before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Insider Blasts Yankees for Aaron Judge Situation

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 7:15 AM ET

New York Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge took a huge step forward upon playing in the field against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 5 for the first time since returning from the injured list with a right flexor strain, but just how ready is he to tackle that challenge this season?

The club dropped the first game of its consequential series vs. Toronto this weekend while Judge, who notably opted not to make a throw home on a bases-loaded single in the first inning, was stationed in right field.

On the flip side, however, New York earned a rather clean victory over the Blue Jays in the second game of the set while Judge served as the designated hitter, making the New York Post's Joel Sherman question just how much the 33-year-old is truly capable of at the moment.

"The Yankees played clean (the Blue Jays didn’t) and received terrific relief work from Luke Weaver, Fernando Cruz and David Bednar to win 3-1," Sherman wrote. "They are within three games of first-place Toronto, yet the first two games of this series have accentuated the delicate nature of critical matters — how much can Judge play right, what can he bring to the position and what will they say or won’t say publicly about it all?

"Because the Yankees want you to ignore both your eyes and history when it comes to judging Judge."

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Judge is a plus-defender when fully healthy who has a cannon of an arm, but it's not hard to see that his elbow injury is limiting him rather severely. He completed a throwing program before getting clearance to return to the field, though Boone has stopped short of stating that his elbow is at 100% and isn't hampering his overall effectiveness.

It's understandable why New York may want to be hush-hush to the media about the entire situation, as they don't want to be stuck playing Giancarlo Stanton in the outfield on a regular basis or have opposing teams exploit Judge's current weakness in the field, but Sherman also believes the organization is trying to get away with not telling the whole truth as the playoff push ramps up.

"Plus, we have watched Judge play right field for nine years and he has been aggressive with his arm; justifiably, because it is strong and true," Sherman wrote. "It is hard to envision a time previous to this injury in which Judge would not have come up firing trying to nab Varsho at the plate.

"The Yankees have become comfortable telling their deluded version of reality over the years and expecting not to be challenged — expecting us to be blind and have amnesia about what we have actually seen and remember."

Judge will continue receiving defensive opportunities down the stretch, but there's no telling just how much he'll improve over the next handful of weeks.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!