Did the Yankees hide the full extent of Aaron Judge’s injury? Experts and analysts believe so

Aaron Judge’s elbow injury may be worse than a UCL tear, per experts, as a flexor strain affects grip and swing—adding to the Yankees’ injury woes.

The New York Yankees placed a key player, Aaron Judge, on the 10-day injured list last Saturday due to a flexor strain. At the time, the team’s manager, Aaron Boone, reassured fans by saying that the injury would take no longer than 10 days to heal and Judge would return to the off-field soon in a designated hitter (DH) role.

Injured New York Yankees player Aaron Judge looks on from the dugout during the game against the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP)

However, as per the claims of a Yankees analyst for Pinstripes Nation, Esteban Quiñones, the team may have severely underplayed the extent of Judge’s injury.

What is the full extent of Aaron Judge’s injury?

As per Quiñones’s report, the team’s public approach to Judge's elbow injury "mirrors a documented pattern of Yankees injury mismanagement spanning nearly a decade, where initial optimism consistently gives way to extended absences for star player.

Will Carroll, sports injury expert and author of the Under the Knife newsletter, spoke about his analysis of the full extent of Aaron Judge's injury during an appearance on the ‘Foul Territory’ podcast.

"This is worse than a UCL tear. For a hitter, a flexor tendon — which is what you need to rotate the bat, maintain grip — is everything. This doesn't heal quickly and often takes a month or even more,” he said.

Carroll further explained the matter in Monday’s copy of his newsletter by stating that even if his ulnar collateral ligament had been ruptured, Judge could have continued to play.

"Where a UCL isn't involved in the swing, the flexor really is," he wrote. "A flexor strain changes everything for a power hitter like Judge. These are the muscles that let a hitter squeeze the bat, hold it steady, and then drive it through the zone."

What are the Yankees doing about it?

Although it looks more serious than what the team has put forth, Yankees Go Yard writer Adam Weinrib believes that Carroll’s analysis does involve some degree of “hyperbole”.

However, due to the team's reported trade deadline interest in several hitters, including "utility man Willi Castro of the Twins, old friend Harrison Bader (also on Minnesota's roster), and Austin Slater, a lefty-mashing outfielder currently with the White Sox”, Weinrib buys into the myth of Judge’s condition taking longer to heal.

The team’s heightened interest in position players over pitchers adds fuel to these doubts.

By Stuti Gupta