Yankees star Aaron Judge said he's unsure whether he'll require surgery on his right elbow this offseason while speaking to reporters following New York's season-ending loss to the Blue Jays in Game 4 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday night.
"We'll do some work on it [the elbow]," Judge said. "We'll do some work on it and get it right."
When asked whether he'll have surgery, Judge replied, "I'm not a doctor, I don't know."
Aaron Judge is asked about his elbow and how it will be handled during the offseason: "We'll do some work on it and get it right"
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 9, 2025
He's asked if surgery is part of that: "I'm not a doctor, I don't know" pic.twitter.com/FF7uJ2us2V
When did Judge suffer the elbow injury?
During the seventh inning of a July 22 win over the Blue Jays, Judge grimaced in pain after throwing the ball into the infield following a running catch. He was in the Yankees lineup as the designated hitter the following day, then experienced discomfort while playing the outfield in a July 25 loss to the Phillies. He underwent tests on the elbow, which revealed no damage to the ulnar collateral ligament, but Judge on July 26 was placed on the 10-day injured list with a flexor strain in his right elbow.
He returned to the lineup on Aug. 5 as the designated hitter, but didn't resume throwing to bases until Aug. 24. In the midst of Judge's six-week throwing rehab, Yankees manager Aaron Boone raised eyebrows when he said he doubted Judge would get back to "throwing like he normally does at any point this year." Judge himself pushed back against the comments and Boone later walked them back.
How did the injury affect Judge's arm strength?
But upon Judge's return to the outfield on Sept. 5, the Blue Jays tested his throwing arm, and the hulking slugger lacked the velocity on his throws from the outfield that he had prior to sustaining the elbow injury. Judge, who routinely hit 90-plus mph on the radar gun on throws from the outfield, had just two throws exceed 80 mph during his return to the outfield in the regular season, which saw him split time between right field and designated hitter. During the wild-card series, the Red Sox tested Judge's throwing arm in a key situation, leading to a slower throw from the Yankees outfielder, who downplayed the lower velocity number after the game.
And while his throwing arm remained somewhat compromised, he did hit 90.2 mph on the radar gun on one throw during Game 1 of the ALDS.
Fortunately for the Yankees, Judge's bat was not compromised. On the heels of winning his first batting title and compiling his second straight season with 50-plus home runs, Judge authored his best playoff performance to date, slashing .500/.581/.692 with one home run, a pair of doubles, seven RBI and five runs scored in seven games played.
Judge is the odds-on favorite to win his second straight AL MVP award.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Yankees' Aaron Judge Uncertain Whether Elbow Injury Will Require Offseason Surgery.
