Yankees placing Judge on IL with flexor strain

Aaron Judge will be placed on the 10-day injured list after it was discovered that the New York Yankees captain sustained a flexor strain in his right elbow, manager Aaron Boone revealed following his team's loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Judge's ulnar collateral ligament is still intact, Boone added, which left the manager feeling optimistic about his star's recovery.

While he wasn't able to provide a firm timetable, Boone said it's possible that the reigning AL MVP could return after the minimum 10 days. However, once he does get back, Judge will have to exclusively DH for an indefinite period.

"I think, overall, we got some good news," Boone said, per YES Network. "It is gonna require an IL stint, with the thought that, hopefully, it's right at about that 10 days and those first few days coming off (the IL) probably in the DH mode ... and then hopefully get back to the outfield shortly thereafter."

Boone added that Judge has already started treatments, including receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection.

Judge said Saturday that he first felt an issue during Tuesday's game in Toronto while trying to throw out Davis Schneider at home. A few innings later, he appeared to wince while throwing a ball in from right field.

He was the Yankees' designated hitter the following night and returned to right field on Friday, but was scratched from Saturday's lineup after he reported being unable to throw. Judge had hoped to play through the issue, but ultimately listened to doctors who advised him to rest and reset.

"I couldn't throw, so I think that kind of sums it up," the two-time MVP said. " I really was reluctant about going on the IL or anything like that, I was like, 'if I can hit, let me hit.' But I'll start DHing, I think, once this 10th day is up."

The injury halts yet another brilliant season for the 33-year-old, who's hitting .342/.449/.711 with 37 homers and 85 RBIs. Judge entered Saturday leading the majors in each of the four slash stats along with hits, OPS+, and total bases, while topping the AL leaderboards in RBIs and runs scored.

In the short term, the Yankees seem likely to call up either Everson Pereira or Bryan De La Cruz from Triple-A, according to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. Top outfield prospect Spencer Jones is unlikely to be called up at this time, the New York Post's Jon Heyman reports. Jones is sitting out of Saturday's Triple-A contest with a back issue and has now missed two straight games because of it, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News.

When Judge returns as a DH, it could force New York to use Giancarlo Stanton as an outfielder once again. Stanton hasn't picked up a glove in almost two years, but the oft-injured slugger is going to prepare for the possibility over the next 10-plus days.

"G and I have already talked a little bit, just in preparation potentially for anything," Boone said of Stanton. "G will probably start to get some work out there, just to see if it needs to be an option once we get to that point when Aaron's back. We'll start working that in this week."