New York Yankees superstar slugger Aaron Judge will not need surgery on his right elbow this offseason, manager Aaron Boone confirmed on Thursday.
Judge suffered a flexor strain in his throwing elbow in late July, which kept him sidelined for 10 games. While he returned to the lineup as a designated hitter, he did not return to his position in right field until Sept. 5.
His arm was clearly compromised throughout the remainder of the season. For a player who can throw above 90 mph from the outfield, Judge’s velocity was significantly down — most notably in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox when a 73.2 mph throw was not quick enough to get Nick Sogard, who stretched a single into a double.
It proved to be a vital moment as Sogard came around to score in Boston’s 3-1 victory.
The fact that Judge’s throws were not getting stronger as the 2025 campaign descended into the postseason continued to leave the door open for surgery, which would have significantly altered his offseason plans and potentially delayed the start of the 2026 season.
That is of no concern, now, as the likely American League MVP can hit the ground running next year as the Yankees look to put the disappointment of their ALDS exit in the rear-view mirror.
The same cannot be said for shortstop Anthony Volpe, who had surgery on his injured shoulder on Tuesday.
He cannot start hitting until four months after the procedure, and cannot dive on it for six months, meaning he will likely not be ready for the start of 2026.
“We’ll also have a better idea at three or four months if that timeline moves up a little bit or delays a little bit,” Boone said. “Right now, it’s four months until he’s hitting again. My expectation is that he’ll be delayed to start the season.”
