NEW YORK — The New York Yankees never publicly established a target date for Aaron Judge’s return to right field after he sustained a right flexor strain in late July. For weeks, manager Aaron Boone said he expected Judge to patrol grass again soon — and definitely again in 2025 — but never offered specifics.
Soon ended up being Friday.
Judge started in right field in the Yankees’ 7-1 series-opening loss to the first-place Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on Friday, marking the first time he patrolled grass since July 25. He played all nine innings and did not appear to aggravate his elbow injury. But questions surrounding his ability to throw immediately surfaced as the Blue Jays extended their lead over New York in the American League East standings to four games.
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With Cam Schlittler on the mound and the bases loaded with two outs, Nathan Lukes looped a single to right field that one-hopped to Judge in the first inning.
While one run easily scored from third base, Daulton Varsho, the runner at second, had not yet reached third base when Judge fielded the ball. But instead of firing the ball home, Judge made a short throw to second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. at the edge of the outfield grass in front of him. Varsho crossed home plate without a throw, giving Toronto a 3-0 lead en route to its eighth win in 11 games against the Yankees this season.
Asked if he is capable of making that throw — from the middle of right field to home plate — at this juncture, Judge insisted it’s not an issue.
“I wouldn’t be in the outfield if I wasn’t able to make that throw,” Judge said.
Boone said Judge was “in position to make the throw.” When asked why Judge didn’t, Boone did not offer an explanation.
“We’re handling it how we handle it, OK?” Boone said.
Judge was placed on the injured list on July 27 after the flexor strain left him unable to throw a baseball. He was activated after the minimum 10 days to serve as the Yankees’ every-day designated hitter and started a throwing program soon thereafter. He batted .242 with six home runs and an 0.888 OPS in the 27 games at DH after being reinstated and remains the favorite to win his third AL MVP in four seasons with Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh challenging him for the crown.
He went 1-for-3 with a walk on Friday as Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman stifled the Yankees offense over eight scoreless innings. Boone said he initially did not plan on having Judge play the outfield again on Saturday, but a decision would be made after speaking with Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, who had largely replaced Judge in the outfield before returning to his usual designated hitter role on Friday.
“Everything was feeling pretty good,” Judge said. “If you can throw, you gotta get out there.”
In the longer term, Boone said the 33-year-old Judge won’t play right field every day “initially.” Instead, he envisions Judge splitting time between right field and designated hitter, meaning Stanton will continue getting starts on defense to have both his and Judge’s bats in the lineup.
The decision comes with risks ranging from opponents testing Judge’s arm, potentially capitalizing on any reluctance to fire away, to Judge exacerbating the injury and jeopardizing his availability for the remainder of the season with the postseason a month away.
“He’s playing,” Boone said. “He’s in there. He’s in there so he’s good enough to be in there and hopefully it will continue to improve.”
The Yankees are willing to take the gamble because while Stanton remains an elite power hitter, he cannot play the outfield every day and is a defensive liability when he’s out there at this point in his career. Once a plus outfielder, nagging injuries in recent years have forced Stanton to miss substantial time and sapped his athleticism. The combination prompted the Yankees to build their roster with Stanton as their every-day DH the past two seasons.
Stanton, 35, returned to the outfield on Aug. 9, nearly two years after last playing defense. He started 12 games in right field before making three consecutive starts in left field against the Houston Astros this week.
The former National League MVP homered on Friday for the Yankees’ only run and is batting .287 with 19 home runs and an 0.987 OPS in 59 games after spending more than two months on the injured list with tendon injuries in both of his elbows to begin the season.
“There were days where we pushed it a little bit,” Boone said. “There were other days [where we were] going to be disciplined [in] having a day down. So, and I think all and all, it’s gone pretty well. Obviously, he’s performed. I think he’s done a nice job out there and now it gives us that added flexibility now that he’s in the mix out there moving forward.”
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