Yankees May 2, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) looks to the crowd after striking out during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-USA TODAY Sports
By Reice Shipley on

The New York Yankees were dealt a pretty significant blow to their chances of staying in a Wild Card spot in the American League, as Aaron Judge is set for a stint on the IL with what seems to be a pretty concerning injury.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone informed Yankees fans prior to Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies that Judge would not be in the lineup due to an elbow injury. Later, it was detemined that the exact diagnosis was a flexor strain in his elbow.

Fortunately, it seems as if Jude avoided the worst-case scenario with any elbow injury, a torn UCL, which would result in him having to undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the remainder of the season and likely next season as well.

This injury will impact the Yankees in more ways than some would expect. Because when Judge does return from the IL, he will reportedly be limited to being strictly a DH and not playing in the field for “a period of time” until his elbow issues are completely cleared up.

Obviously, baseball fans had plenty to say about his unfortunate news for Judge, wishing him a speedy recovery.

Judge has undoubtedly been one of, if not the very best hitter in baseball this season. So it’s quite likely that his absence will greatly affect a Yankees team that has already been struggling coming out of the All-Star break.

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.

View all posts by Reice Shipley