Aaron Judge injury: Yankees star may have his throwing limited for rest of season, per Aaron Boone

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge is likely to have his throwing limited the rest of the season as he recovers from a flexor strain, manager Aaron Boone revealed Tuesday morning. Judge missed 10 days with the injury spanning late July and early August, and he has been limited to DH duty since returning. He is on a throwing program.

"We're trying to get through where he can let it go with ease and be able to protect himself," Boone said on WFAN (via MLB.com). "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."

During his usual pregame media session later in the day, Boone told reporters, including MLB.com, that "maybe" he "overstated" that Judge's throwing would be limited. Judge himself seemed to think so.

"I don't know why he said that," Judge said about Boone saying his throwing would be limited the rest of the season (via the New York Post). "He hasn't seen me thrown the past two weeks. I'm pretty confident I'll get back to (100%)."

Judge initially suffered the injury making a throw on July 22. He played right field two days later, though he did not do much more than lob the ball in to the infield. The Yankees placed him on the injured list the next day. Tests showed Judge's UCL -- the Tommy John surgery ligament -- is intact. The injury is limited to his flexor. Here's when he suffered the injury:

Judge recently stretched his throwing out to 150 feet. He must throw to the bases before he can return to the outfield, and Boone did not have a timetable for when that will happen. Whenever it does happen, expect opponents to test Judge's arm and force the issue on the bases. Per Statcast, Judge's average competitive throw is 90.4 mph this year, exactly the right field average.

With Judge limited to DH, the Yankees played Giancarlo Stanton in right field last week for the first time since Sept. 2023. He made four starts in right field in a five-day span last week, though lingering soreness in his legs forced Stanton to sit out this past weekend's three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Stanton is in Tuesday's lineup playing right field.

Judge is 8 for 25 (.229) with two home runs and more walks (12) than strikeouts (nine) in 11 games since coming off the injured list. Stanton is mashing as well. He is hitting .299/.377/.576 with 12 home runs in 44 games this year. The Yankees are in a postseason race and need both guys in the lineup as much as possible, hence Stanton playing right field.

The Yankees enter play Tuesday with a 67-57 record, percentage points ahead of the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners for the top wild card spot. New York has won five of its last six games and are five games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East.