Aaron Judge and Aaron Boone failed to maintain a united front Tuesday concerning the New York Yankees star’s lingering elbow injury.
Judge missed 10 games from late July to early August after suffering a flexor strain in his throwing elbow. The two-time MVP returned to the lineup on August 5, but has yet to retake his familiar spot in right field. Judge has been used exclusively as a designated hitter since coming back from injury.
Boone appeared on WFAN Sports Radio on Tuesday and told hosts Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata that he does not think Judge will be able to recover enough to throw from the outfield “like he normally does” anytime this season.
Judge himself didn’t get the memo. The Yankees star spoke to reporters after New York’s 13-3 thrashing of the Tampa Bay Rays later that day. Judge claimed he had no idea why Boone made those comments.
“I don’t know why he said that,” Judge said of Boone’s comments, via New York Post’s Greg Joyce. “He hasn’t seen me thrown the past two weeks.”
Judge added that he feels “pretty confident” that he can get his throwing ability back to full strength before the season ends.
Boone did admit later on that he “may have overstated” the concern regarding Judge’s injury. But the Yankees skipper still could not give a definitive timeline for when they hope Judge can play the outfield once again.
