Yankees, Trade Deadline Sellers? Aaron Judge Injury Nearly Forced Their Hand

Newsweek

29-07-2025

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Aaron Judge's elbow injury has altered the New York Yankees' trade deadline plans during a down month of July — and could have altered them more, according to a new report.
Andy Martino of SNY told Rich Herrera Tuesday on the Bret Boone podcast (sans Boone, now the Texas Rangers' hitting coach) that the Yankees were contemplating trading players off their major league roster before the 6 p.m. ET Thursday deadline depending on Judge's diagnosis.
"On Friday night, the Yankees brass went to bed thinking Aaron Judge maybe, probably needs Tommy John surgery," Martino said. "They really were worried about that. Had that happened, there's a good chance the Yankees turn into sellers because they were already having a tough time.
"You lose Judge after already losing (Gerrit) Cole, maybe just reload ... trade some free agents to be," Martino continued. "That obviously didn't happen. Judge should be back around the 10-day mark. He just has a flexor strain, but the team's still playing poorly and sometimes it's not your year."
Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees looks on during the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Yankee Stadium on July 27, 2025 in the Bronx borough of New York City.
Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees looks on during the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Yankee Stadium on July 27, 2025 in the Bronx borough of New York City.The idea of selling at the deadline is anathema to Yankees fans, who annually expect their team to win the World Series. New York followed up its 2024 American League pennant by racing out to a 42-25 start through June 12.
The Yankees are 15-24 since then. A season-ending injury to Judge, the 2024 AL MVP and the 2025 leader in Wins Above Replacement, would have sunk their chances even further.
Going off this timeline:
July 29/30: Tee work resumes
Aug. 5: Eligible to return from IL (team is on road at TEX)
Aug. 8: Team returns home vs. HOU
Aug. 8-13: Throwing resumes https://t.co/JFJ2NugwCJ — Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) July 29, 2025
At 57-49, New York is currently in the top Wild Card position in the AL, but only 1.5 games separate the Yankees and the fourth-place Texas Rangers (56-51) in the race for three Wild Card spots.
More news: Yankees Make Trade, Send Veteran Pitcher to Atlanta Ahead of Trade Deadline
What's more, Judge might not be back around the 10-day mark, the minimum stint required for a player on the injured list.
"Now that the news comes out that it's a flexor strain, everybody's like, 'oh it could've been a lot worse.' No it couldn't have," sports injury expert Will Carroll said Monday on Foul Territory.
"This is worse than a UCL tear," Carroll continued. "For a hitter ... Bryce Harper ruptured his UCL, continued hitting, took the team to the playoffs, had surgery after the season, barely missed any time. ... For Judge, a flexor tendon — which is what you need to rotate the bat, maintain grip, to make those fine adjustments you have to make — this is everything."
Carroll suggested Judge might not return until September.
More news: Yankees Make Trade, Acquire All-Star Third Baseman
"This doesn't heal quickly," he said. "This small little (flexor) tendon, which overlaps with the UCL, often takes a month or even more to heal up."
Regardless of how long the Yankees will be without Judge, Martino believes the injury might already have affected the front office's approach to the trade deadline.
"The Yankees probably played themselves out of the front office viewing them as, like, all-in, aggressive, trade-your-top-prospects kind of year to, like, more measured buyers," he said.
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