Yankees’ Aaron Judge Nearing Activation But Not Full Health

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is almost back, but his right elbow is not entirely on board.

The 2024 American League MVP is targeting a return to the lineup during next week’s road trip in Texas, with manager Aaron Boone eyeing Tuesday or Wednesday as a realistic activation date.

Sidelined since July 26 due to a flexor strain, Judge has resumed batting practice and will face live pitching Sunday in Tampa. If all goes well, he will slot back in as designated hitter, at least to start.

While his return is a welcome boost for a team trying to surge in the standings, it comes with caveats. Judge is in a no-throwing phase and is unlikely to play the outfield anytime soon.

That means Giancarlo Stanton, who has homered in back-to-back games, may need to log innings in the field. Whether the Yankees follow through on that remains uncertain.

Even more concerning, the elbow is not fully healed — and may not be anytime soon. Judge received a platelet-rich plasma injection last week, but orthopedists believe it could take another month for a full recovery.

According to Bob Klapisch of NJ.com, the reigning MVP has no plans to wait that long.

“Judge knows he’s not going to be 100 percent until the off-season,” Klapisch wrote, adding that the Yankees were “lucky” Judge agreed to sit the minimum 10 days.

He had 37 home runs and a league-best .711 slugging percentage before landing on the IL.

And if the Yankees are going to capitalize on their deadline upgrades, they will need his bat in the middle of the order — even if the rest of his game is forced to wait.