New York Yankees Superstar Aaron Judge Facing Major Injury Scare

Aaron Judge is dealing with elbow pain, so the New York Yankees benched the reigning AL MVP against the Philadelphia Phillies as he awaits test results.

Cumberland, Georgia, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) shown in the dugout during the game against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning at Truist Park. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Right fielder Aaron Judge is not in the New York Yankees' starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Judge is dealing with an elbow issue, and that the 33-year-old superstar had trouble throwing the ball in from the outfield on Friday. Judge has undergone imaging, but he is still awaiting results.

The severity of the injury, as well as the potential timetable for his return, is still unknown.

Judge went 0-for-3 in the Yankees' 12-5 series-opening loss to the Phillies. He is batting .143 with a .600 OPS over his last eight games.

Judge is dealing with an elbow issue and had trouble throwing the ball from the outfield last night, Boone said. He’s not in the starting lineup. Yankees awaiting imaging results.

— JackCurryYES (@JackCurryYES) July 26, 2025

Even taking that slump into account, Judge leads MLB with a .342 batting average, 1.160 OPS and 6.8 WAR through 103 games in 2025. He has racked up 37 home runs, 24 doubles, 85 RBIs and 90 runs, making him the heavy favorite to repeat as AL MVP.

Judge missing any amount of time could give Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh a bump in the awards race, though, on top of hurting the Yankees' chances in the AL Wild Card race. New York reached the World Series for the first time in 15 years last October, but now boasts the ninth-best record in baseball.

Related MLB Stories

• NETO SHINES: It was only fitting that fans who went to the Los Angeles Angels' showdown with the Seattle Mariners on Friday got sent home with Zach Neto bobbleheads. CLICK HERE

• DBACKS BLANK PIRATES: The Pittsburgh Pirates could only muster up one hit in 11 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, leading to a line score never seen before in MLB history. CLICK HERE

• YANKEES ADD MCMAHON: After years of popping up in rumors, Ryan McMahon has found his way from the Colorado Rockies to the infield-needy New York Yankees ahead of the trade deadline. CLICK HERE

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.