It was an injury report in an August in the Bronx, when New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone spoke with optimism about the arm issues impacting an outfielder named Aaron.
It was a flexor tendon strain, in the elbow of his throwing arm. But Boone assured reporters that, buoyed by a recent MRI, the team felt confident about the outfielder’s return after a brief trip to the injured list.
“The fact that the ligament is intact is good news,” Boone said at the time. “He’ll be shut down for the next seven to 10 days from throwing, and then at that point, hopefully he’s in a position to start ramping back up again.”
That October, the player would have Tommy John surgery, putting him on a long road through rehab that negatively impacted his game for well over a year.
Aaron Judge’s Elbow Issues Rekindle Painful Yankees Déjà Vu
The year was 2019. The player was Aaron Hicks. And while it’s difficult to quantify how much of a long-term effect the injury truly had on Hicks, he would no longer be the same player who had signed a seven-year, $70 million contract with the Yankees prior to that season.
In fact, Hicks, who had clubbed 27 home runs with 79 RBIs in 137 games for New York in 2018, would hit a total of just 19 home runs with 80 RBIs over 244 games in pinstripes post-injury before he was released by the Yankees midway through the 2023 season. After finishing that season with the Baltimore Orioles, Hicks played just 19 games in 2024 with the Los Angeles Angels before he was let go, and he is currently getting paid $9.5 million from the Yankees to sit at home as a free agent in the final year of his contract.
Fast forward to this morning. Another injury report in another August about another Yankees outfielder named Aaron suffering from another flexor tendon strain in another elbow.
Only this time, it’s Aaron Judge. The perennial frontrunner for MVP honors in the American League, and the biggest reason for New York, despite its ongoing struggles, to hang onto any hopes of capturing the franchise’s 28th World Series title. So forgive the Yankees fan base for fearing the worst.
During an interview with New York sports radio station WFAN, Boone told Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata that Judge will likely not be at full health for the remainder of the 2025 season.
“I don’t think we’re gonna see him back to throwing like he normally does at any point this year,” Boone said.
Yankees Unsure of Timetable on Aaron Judge’s Return to Outfield
Judge’s injury was initially announced in late July, and he was put on the 10-day injured list. Though he was not expected to miss much time, the Yankees indicated that Judge would be used strictly as a designated hitter as he eased his way back into the lineup.
In the 11 games since his return, Judge has gone 8-for-35 (.229) with two home runs and six RBIs out of the DH spot. On WFAN, Boone reiterated that there is no timetable on when Judge might get back in the outfield.
“I’m waiting on the trainers to kind of say, ‘Yeah, thumbs up,’” Boone said. “I know he’s expected to long toss today. So I don’t expect it here in Tampa. But could it be Boston (who the Yankees host Thursday through Sunday)? Maybe. I just don’t know yet.”
But for Yankees fans, the bigger concern is what this might mean for not just this season, but 2026 as well. As ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported when Judge first went to the IL in July, “Flexor injuries often precede those to the UCL,” and the prospect of Judge potentially needing surgery had fans responding to MLB.com reporter Bryan Hoch’s post on X (formerly Twitter) with an unhealthy dose of pessimism.
“This has Tommy J during last week of spring training 2026 written all over it,” one fan lamented.
Aaron Judge Injury Update Sparks Fears of Lost Seasons Ahead