The New York Yankees were already battling inconsistency and a brutal second-half schedule. Now, they’re doing it without their captain, Aaron Judge.
The 2024 AL MVP was scratched from Saturday’s lineup with what manager Aaron Boone called “an elbow issue,” marking a potential turning point in the Yankees’ season. Judge had been gutting it out since wincing on a throw earlier in the week against the Blue Jays. But after struggling to make throws during Friday night’s loss to the Phillies, the team decided to shut him down, at least for now.
The timing couldn’t be worse. The Yankees are sliding in the standings and desperately need their MVP-caliber outfielder to stay afloat. But this isn’t just about power numbers. It’s about leadership, clubhouse morale, and the domino effect his absence creates on the field and in the lineup.
Another Injury at the Worst Possible Time
Judge’s elbow concern comes just days before the MLB trade deadline, adding another wrinkle to Brian Cashman’s to-do list. As of Saturday morning, the Yankees were still awaiting results from Judge’s MRI, according to The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner. Though the team remains hopeful it’s nothing long-term. Still, hope doesn’t win ballgames—and the Yankees are fresh off a 12-5 drubbing by the Phillies, a game in which Judge played but looked off.
This marks another year that the Yankees have had to navigate the stretch run without a fully healthy Judge. In 2023, a torn ligament in his toe derailed his season and the team’s playoff hopes. Now, it’s his throwing arm. Even if the MRI results come back clean, there’s no guarantee he’ll return to complete defensive duties in the outfield soon.
That forces the Yankees to overextend Judge as a DH or run out a compromised lineup with a rotating cast of outfielders who don’t offer anything close to his impact.
The Bigger Problem: Who Replaces the Face of the Franchise?
Replacing Judge’s production is one thing. Replacing his presence is another. He leads the Yankees in home runs, OBP, and WAR. But more than that, he’s their emotional ballast—the player fans, teammates, and coaches turn to when things spiral. And right now, things are spiraling.
Without Judge in the right field, the Yankees must lean on Cody Bellinger to take his spot, giving more time to Jasson Dominguez to play left field. It also may push, in an extreme case, Giancarlo Stanton into more playing time than his body may be ready to handle, while limiting Boone’s flexibility with the DH slot.
It’s not just about who plays right field—it’s about how everything else shifts because of it.
This also puts Cashman in a tough spot. If Judge is headed for an IL stint, the Yankees could be forced to act more aggressively at the deadline than planned. That could mean adding another bat when pitching was already the priority, or changing the player profile they were targeting entirely.
If this turns out to be a minor setback, significant—but even a “minor” issue for a player like Judge is substantial news for a teetering Yankees team.
So here they are again. Injured stars, a lineup in flux, a fanbase on edge, and a trade deadline ticking down. The Yankees have spent the season betting on their resilience. They’re being asked to prove it without the guy who defines it.
Yankees’ Lineup Shaken as Aaron Judge Deals With Elbow Issue