New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge has been placed on the injured list due to an elbow ligament strain.

Yankees captain Aaron Judge has been diagnosed with a right elbow flexor strain and will be placed on the 10-day injured list. Manager Aaron Boone confirmed after today's game, where the team lost 4-9 to the Philadelphia Phillies, that Judge's ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is intact, and upon his return, he will temporarily serve as the designated hitter.

"The ulnar collateral ligament shows no acute damage, which is overall good news," Boone stated. "Initially, he will serve as the designated hitter after leaving the injured list, and then gradually resume throwing drills, aiming to return to the outfield as soon as possible."

This injury occurred during the sixth inning of Thursday's game against the Blue Jays when Judge felt discomfort after making a throw to prevent Davis Schneider from scoring at home plate. However, Schneider ultimately scored thanks to a hit from George Springer. Judge played through the pain and continued in the following two games.

"That throw was crucial for the outcome," Judge admitted. "If I had failed, the score would have been tied. I had to make the play, and even though it hurt, I chose to push through." He had hoped that the day off on Friday would alleviate his injury, but during today's game against the Phillies, he threw less than 60 feet and only managed to contribute one run with a sacrifice fly.

Having never experienced an elbow injury before, Judge is currently taking medication for pain relief. He was reluctant to go on the injured list: "Hitting is completely fine, and I could have served as the designated hitter." However, the team did not approve this based on their assessment of his throwing ability.

During Judge's absence, Giancarlo Stanton is expected to take over in the corner outfield. He has been sidelined due to tennis elbow since June 17 and has not played in the outfield since 2023. "As long as it benefits the team, I'm willing to return to the outfield," Stanton stated. "I will intensify my outfield training this week."

This loss puts the Yankees six games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East (as of the end of today's game), but they still lead the AL Wild Card race. Judge is confident in the team's resilience: "My teammates will step up. I remember in 2019 when we were hit hard by injuries, everyone rose to the occasion. Now, with the addition of Ryan McMahon before the trade deadline, our chances have improved."

Judge has been performing exceptionally this season, with a batting line of .342/.449/.711 over 103 games, hitting 37 home runs, leading multiple categories across the league.