Yankees' Aaron Judge Uses WBC Stage to Give Exciting Health Update

Aaron Judge's health saga is officially be put on ice. A year ago, he hurt his elbow in late July during a series against the Toronto Blue Jays. He winced after a throw and was soon placed on the IL. It was a short-lived stint, and one that involved anxieties about whether Judge would even return that season. In the end, Judge did find his way back to the New York Yankees, but it was clear something was off from the start.

During moments where he had his opportunities to get a runner out last season — one of the biggest strengths of his career outside of hitting balls into the seats — Judge would opt to just throw to the cut-off man. It was clear that even if he was on the field, that elbow wasn't right.

Judge found himself in a similar opportunity at the World Baseball Classic, in a game between the United States and Mexico. What's most unfortunate for Mexico, though, was that they tested Judge's arm and were wrong.

At that point in the game, it was still 0-0. Joey Ortiz was on first when Jarren Duran slapped a ball right to Judge.

Judge, seeing Ortiz run to third, looked like he lobbed the ball to Alex Bregman. That ball came out of his hands like a cannon, though, and Bregman was able to apply the tag, nabbing Ortiz at third. That effortless throw flew out of Judge's hand at 91 MPH.

Aaron Judge ends the inning with a perfect throw! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/ZykRqXqDaf
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 10, 2026

Teammate Paul Skenes was impressed by Judge's arm, which may have saved him from being in a jam. One of the best pitchers in baseball gave the defensive aspect of the captain's game high praise.

"I think I gave up one hit, but it didn't matter because Judge threw him out at third," Skenes said. "One of the best throws I've seen."

Not long after that, Judge put the United States on the board with a homer. He even did a batflip, which is completely out of character for the captain, but the tournament is bringing out different emotions in players than we're used to seeing in the regular season.

The Elbow Coming into 2026

Judge's elbow was one of the questions coming into camp. It wasn't as pressing as when Gerrit Cole would be returning to the team, but it was still fair to wonder if Judge was fine. Losing him would be catastrophic, and they already saw what the team would look like without him in 2023.

Manager Aaron Boone was asked about the elbow heading into camp, and, after that WBC throw, his words proved to be prophetic.

"He has ramped up his throwing program a little bit more because he's getting ready for the WBC, so he's ahead of the game moreso than he even normally is, from a throwing standpoint," Boone said, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, before the team met at George M. Steinbrenner Field. "But I know it's going really well for him. He feels ready to go right away in camp."

Aug 11, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) throws a ball in the outfield before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The only part of his game that looked to be in decline was Judge's arm. He averaged 89.6 MPH on them, which were in the 85th percentile in baseball but low by Judge's standards. In 2022, the year he first won his MVP, he averaged 92.4 MPH on throws, putting him in the 93rd percentile.

That 91 MPH laser beam was a tick below where he used to be. It's fair to say that the ebow is okay.

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