Judge Aaron Throws for the First Time in 12 Days

ARLINGTON, Texas – Judge Aaron took to the field to throw baseball on Wednesday for the first time in 12 days.

The Yankees star tossed the ball to Giancarlo Stanton from about 60 feet at Globe Life Field, marking the beginning of his throwing program after being sidelined with a right flexor strain. The team is hopeful that this is a positive step toward getting him back into right field, but his progress hinges on how his elbow reacts during this initial phase.

“I felt better. It was a normal throw,” Judge shared with reporters. “It definitely hurts. When you put strain on the flexors, it… well, it can be uncomfortable. It’s kind of like running for the first time after a hamstring injury—it can sting. But it didn’t feel as bad as when I originally hurt it.”

Judge suffered the elbow injury while throwing in a game on July 22 in Toronto. He played as a designated hitter (DH) the next game before returning to right field on July 25. However, he struggled with throwing it into the infield, which led to an MRI and the diagnosis of a flexor issue.

After spending at least ten days on the injured list, he was activated on Tuesday and rejoined the Yankees lineup as a DH.

For now, Judge plans to continue practicing throwing on Thursday and will need to carefully evaluate how he feels, even after he returns to the field.

“It’s comforting to think that I’m getting better and hopefully will be able to forget about it in a few weeks,” he said. “We’ve faced injuries before—be it to a quad or a hamstring—but this one feels a bit different.”

He revealed that he intends to be cautious about pushing himself too hard, yet acknowledged his eagerness to return to right field soon, especially since the team needs all its key players back in action.

This desire was likely influenced by Stanton’s return to the bench for a second consecutive game. Judge mentioned having some pre-game work in the right field, and the Yankees believe he could be an option there when he returns this weekend.

The actual timing of that return could depend on how quickly Judge feels ready, especially when considering Stanton’s own time in the field since he last played back in 2023.