Aaron Judge 'Confident' He'll Be 100%, Yankees' Boone Clarifies Comments on Injury

There seemed to be some confusion about whether Aaron Judge will be able to throw in normal fashion at some point this season, but the slugger provided some clarification Tuesday.

First, manager Aaron Boone appeared on WFAN (h/t Bryan Hoch of MLB.com) and suggested Judge's throwing might be compromised for the rest of 2025 as he continues to work his way back from injury.

"We're trying to get through where he can let it go with ease and be able to protect himself," Boone said. "I don't think we're going to see him back to throwing like he normally does at any point this year, but that's OK, too. We've got to feel like he can go out there and be able to protect himself and represent himself."

However, Judge then told reporters, "I don't know why he said that. He hasn't seen me throw for the past two weeks, so I'm pretty confident I'll get back to [100 percent]."

Boone later said "maybe I overstated that" regarding his previous comments.

Judge spent time on the injured list because of a right flexor strain and was sidelined from July 25 until Aug. 5. 

He has played designated hitter since his return out of concern for his ability to play in the outfield and throw, which has either forced Giancarlo Stanton out of the lineup or meant playing the slower veteran in the outfield.

"I'm waiting on the trainers to say, 'Yeah, thumbs up,'" Boone said of when Judge will be in the outfield. "I know he's expected to long-toss again [Tuesday]. So I don't expect it here in Tampa. But could it be [Thursday against] Boston? Maybe. I just don't know yet."

Judge is slashing .229/.426/.429 with two home runs and six RBI since his return, which is a far cry from his typical production.

The two-time American League MVP could still add a third to his resume, though, if he bounces back in the stretch run considering he is slashing .333/.447/.687 with 39 long balls and 91 RBI. He leads the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, walks (85) and runs scored (96) despite missing time.

When healthy, he is arguably the best player in the league and a major reason the Yankees still have championship aspirations despite struggling with consistency since the All-Star break.

Still, they swept the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend and will look to continue building on that momentum with a two-game set against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays starting Tuesday ahead of a four-game clash with the Boston Red Sox.

They are five games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the American League East lead but remain tied with the Red Sox and Seattle Mariners for the three AL wild-card spots.