Aaron Judge missed 10 straight games due to a flexor strain in his right elbow this summer, and he’s not ruling out offseason surgery now that the New York Yankees are eliminated from the playoffs.
“We’ll definitely do some work on it,” Judge said after his Yankees dropped Game 4 of the ALDS to the AL East champion Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday, per ESPN. “We’ll do some work on it and get it right.”
Judge was asked if that means he’ll get a procedure done.
“I’m not a doctor,” he said, via ESPN. “I don’t know.”
The 33-year-old Judge’s seventh All-Star season was thrown a curveball in late July when he was placed on the injured list with his elbow issue.
When he returned from the IL, he served as the Yankees’ designated hitter from Aug. 5 to Sept. 4.
In that 27-game span, he hit well below his then-.322 batting average. In fact, he posted a .242 average and just a .474 slugging percentage, collecting six home runs and 12 RBI while the Seattle Mariners’ power-charged catcher, Cal Raleigh, made a convincing case to dethrone Judge as AL MVP.
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That said, Judge’s on-base percentage (.415) remained high over that stretch, and New York bounced back from a 4-6 slump during his absence, which included a four-game skid, with an 18-9 record following his return.
While Judge was penciled in at DH, Giancarlo Stanton took his place in right field.
Judge resumed playing right field on Sept. 5, even though his throwing was reportedly still limited. Although he still saw time at DH between then and Sept. 23, he started the Yankees’ final six regular-season games, as well as all seven of their postseason games, in the outfield.
He continued to build arm strength down the stretch, notably delivering a 90.2-mph throw in Game 1 of the ALDS versus the Blue Jays, according to ESPN.
His work at the plate was unaffected in the postseason. He went 13-for-26 with four walks and seven RBI, including four RBI in an ALDS Game 3 victory that he inspired with a game-tying, three-run home run off the left field pole in the Bronx.
Judge finished the regular season with a slash line of .331/.457/.688, leading the majors in all three categories. He entered rarefied air with his fourth 50-homer season, and his 47th dinger moved him into fourth place on the Yankees’ all-time home run list.
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