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Newsweek
28-07-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Yankees Manager Aaron Boone Blamed For Aaron Judge IL Stint
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In the middle of what has been one of the greatest seasons ever put together by any hitter, and certainly by a right-handed hitter, New York Yankees two-time MVP Aaron Judge was sidelined with an injured flexor in his right elbow. Now, some Yankee-watchers are blaming manager Aaron Boone, at least in part, for Judge's injury — an injury that were it to become worse would threaten the Bronx Bombers' playoff hopes this season, and possibly next season as well. SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 14: Manager Aaron Boone #17 and Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees look on during the third inning Mariners at T-Mobile Park on May 14, 2025 in Seattle, Washington.... SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 14: Manager Aaron Boone #17 and Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees look on during the third inning Mariners at T-Mobile Park on May 14, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. MoreJudge first felt the injury to his right elbow when he made a throw from right field in a game last Tuesday in Toronto. Despite the discomfort in his throwing elbow, Judge played in Wednesday's game as well, knowing that the Yankees were off the following day. But the off-day came and went, and Judge was still feeling the elbow injury. Boone inserted his top slugger into Friday's lineup, against the Philadelphia Phillies at Yankees Stadium anyway. "Boone essentially enabled an injured Judge to stay in Friday's game," wrote Fansided Yankees scribe Wynston Wilcox on Sunday. "He knew Judge wasn't going to be able to throw hard and he knew it would be a liability. What he didn't take into account is if the injury would be detrimental to the season." Judge himself lobbied to play in the game, according to Pinstripes Nation writer Esteban Quiñones, even though he was unable to make throws longer than about 60 feet. "Manager Boone allowed Judge to remain in the lineup because he believed Judge wouldn't risk further injury," Quiñones reported. Strains of the flexor, a muscle group that supports the elbow's ulnar collateral ligament, if not healed properly can lead to tears in the UCL, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. The remedy for UCL tears is Tommy John surgery, which would end Judge's season and probably cost him a sizable portion of next season as well. When the Phillies' eight-time All-Star Bryce Harper underwent Tommy John surgery on Nov. 23, 2022, he was able to rejoin the Philadelphia lineup 160 days later, on May 2, 2023. But that set a record for the speediest recovery from Tommy John ever, by any MLB player. Harper was 30 years old at the time. Judge is now 33. More MLB: Yankees' Aaron Judge Finally Breaks Silence Following Grim Injury Update
Newsweek
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Trade Scenario Nets Yankees Ex-$63 Million MLB No. 1 Prospect to Plug Infield Gap
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The New York Yankees are riding a wave of success in the American League East. Winning 15 of their last 20 games, including a series-opening victory over their arch-rivals the Boston Red Sox on Friday, the Bronx Bombers sit five comfortable games ahead of the second-place Toronto Blue Jays in the division, and entered the weekend with MLB's second-best record. But all is still not completely well in the Bronx. Since New York lost seven-year second-baseman Gleyber Torres to free agency over the offseason, Yankee manager Aaron Boone has been playing mix-and-match with his infield — an infield which has also been punctured by a series of injuries. SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 13: Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees looks on before the game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on May 13, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 13: Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees looks on before the game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on May 13, 2025 in Seattle, MLB: Yankees Castoff Making New York Regret Giving Up on Him With All-Star Caliber Season To finally fill that infield gap, Pinstripes Nation writer Sara Molnick proposed a trade target for the Yankees who could provide stability at third base, a position that has been in flux all season, and by extension settle down the whole infield situation. To do that, the Yankees — under Molnick's plan — would go out and get a player who was once the most highly prized prospect in all of baseball, but whose career never reached its expected potential, mainly due to injuries. A change of scenery to a winning organization, perhaps, could put him on the right path. In 2017, Cuban infielder Yoán Moncada was ranked as the overall No. 1 prospect in the game by MLB Pipeline. Just two years earlier, the Boston Red Sox won a bidding war for the then-19-year-old prospect, paying him a $31.5 million signing bonus, at the time a record for an international free agent. Because the massive bonus exceeded the Red Sox' limit for international signings, the team was hit with a hefty luxury tax bill, bringing its total price tag for signing Moncada to $63 million. But Moncada appeared in just eight games for the Red Sox, all in 2016, with four hits. After that, Boston packaged him in a trade with the Chicago White Sox for lefty ace Chris Sale. Eight years after that, Moncada is now with the Los Angeles Angels, on a one-year, $5 million contract. More MLB: Former Cy Young Award Winner to Undergo Season-Ending Surgery "Moncada has shown flashes of his potential, with a .237 average, sixhome runs, and 19 RBIs. Currently on the injured list with right knee inflammation, his health status will be a key factor in any trade considerations," Molnick wrote. She listed the factors in favor a trade for Moncada as the fact that he is a "switch-hitter with power potential," and "could be a bounce-back candidate in a new environment." Perhaps most important, Molnick wrote, Moncada remains "versatile across (the) corner infield." Dealing for Moncada would likely be a low-risk, potentially high-reward proposition that would cost the Yankees little in the way of prospect assets. At the age of 30, he may now have an extra jolt of motivation, as he approaches the now-or-never point in his career. More MLB: Motor City Madness: New Tiger Gleyber Torres Directs Snarky Tweet at Yankees GM
