NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge threw gingerly when he returned to right field Friday night for the first time since hurting his elbow in late July, yet the New York Yankees captain insisted his arm was 100 per cent.
When Toronto's Nathan Lukes hit a shallow, bases-loaded single in the first inning that landed 218 feet from home plate, Judge grabbed the ball on one hop and made no attempt to throw home.
Daulton Varsho started the play on second base and was just rounding third when Judge threw to second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., positioned at the back of the infield dirt, a toss measured at 67.9 miles per hour by MLB Statcast. Varsho slid across the plate uncontested as Chisholm held the ball, and the Blue Jays took a 3-0 lead en route to
“Get it in. Get it to the cutoff man. Let him do his thing," Judge explained.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone did not go into much detail when asked why Judge didn't throw home.
“He’s in position to make the throw,†Boone said. “We’re handling it how we handle it.â€
Judge hadn't played the outfield since July 25, three days after he strained his flexor tendon while making a throw at Toronto.
“There was a little bit of unknown with how he was going to respond,†Blue Jays manager John Schenider said. “We want him to test it.â€
Judge also caught a pair of fly-outs with no runners on base and threw softly to Chisholm after Varsho hit an RBI double in the ninth on a ball that bounced to the wall. Judge allowed Bo Bichette’s fifth-inning pop-up to fall in front of him for a single as Chisholm peeled away.
“That’s just on me. I've got to take control there," Judge said. “Jazz does such a good job of going back on balls like that. I assumed, and you can’t assume in that situation. As the outfielder, you've got to take control.â€
A two-time AL MVP and seven-time All-Star, the 33-year-old Judge is known for a strong and accurate arm. He made a to catch the Los Angeles Angels' Kole Calhoun at the plate in May 2018.
Asked how close his arm was to 100 per cent, Judge said: "I wouldn’t be out here if I wasn’t."
Judge went 1 for 3 with a walk and leads with major leagues with a .322 batting average and 1.103 OPS, hitting 43 homers with 97 RBIs. Since missing 10 games while on the injured list, Judge had been exclusively a designated hitter. He is batting .245 with six homers and 12 RBIs in 27 games since returning to the lineup on Aug. 5.
“A little bit like a pitcher, starting to go through plyometrics and things like that building up to get to the point to where he could start to throw a little bit,†Boone said before the game. “And then just gradually building from there, starting to throw to bases, getting our infielders involved, just so we could be a little creative with some things.â€
Bichette put the Blue Jays ahead with a broken-bat RBI double down the left-field line off rookie Cam Schlittler, who was chased after 60 pitches and 1 2/3 innings. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered to back an eight-inning, four-hit outing by Kevin Gausman, who won for the first time in a month.
When he trotted to right for pre-game warm-ups with a bullpen catcher, Judge was trailed by two camera people. The crowd gave him a loud ovation when the lineups were read, and the Bleacher Creatures chanted his name repeatedly during Roll Call.
“They definitely knew what was going on, and they let it be known,†Judge said.
Boone said Judge initially won't be in right field every day, likely alternating with Giancarlo Stanton in a move that figures to further diminish playing time for rookie Jasson DomÃnguez.
“He’s good enough to be in there, and hopefully it will continue to improve,†Boone said after the game.
, when George Springer singled to right and Judge made a strong throw home in an attempt to prevent the tying run.
Judge was a DH the next day and following an off day returned to right on July 25 for a series opener against Philadelphia. He had trouble throwing, went for an MRI on July 26 and was put on the IL.
In order to get both Judge and Stanton in the lineup together, Stanton has played 17 games in corner outfield spots since Aug. 9, his first outfield appearances since September 2023. Stanton is hitting .287 with 19 homers and 48 RBIs since starting his season on June 16. Stanton because of inflammation in the tendons of both elbows.
“Big G putting himself in the mix now is obviously a big deal, so probably some kind of a shared situation, but, again, we’ll see how Aaron responds day in and day out coming out of these games,†Boone said.
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