New York Yankees star Aaron Judge won’t need surgery on his elbow, but left-hander Carlos Rodon underwent an operation this week and could miss Opening Day.
Judge’s throwing was limited after he hurt the flexor tendon in his right elbow in July. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday an MRI after the team was eliminated last week showed “no surgery is going to be needed.”
“He’ll take some time off and continue to do strengthening things and rehab and stuff,” Boone said. “But it felt like he finished the season in a pretty good place, as we saw continued improvements with him.”
Judge, 33, led the majors in batting average (.331), OPS (1.144) and WAR (9.7) while finishing with 53 home runs and 114 RBIs.
Boone said he expects Judge to be New York’s every-day right fielder in 2026 and downplayed the idea that the two-time American League MVP could see some playing time at first base.
Judge hurt his elbow making a throw at Toronto on July 22. The seven-time All-Star returned on Aug. 5 from a 10-day stint on the injured list and threw gingerly upon his outfield return on Sept. 5. He built up arm strength and made a 90.2 mph throw from right field in the AL Division Series opener.
Rodón was operated on by Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Wednesday to remove loose bodies in his left elbow and shave a bone spur. He has eight weeks of no throwing, and the start of his season could be delayed by a couple of weeks, Boone said.
Rodón, who turns 33 in December, was 18-9 with a 3.09 ERA.
Boone also said slugger Giancarlo Stanton does not need surgery on his elbows.
Boone added that bullpen coach Mike Harkey and first-base/infield coach Travis Chapman won’t return for 2026 and assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler won’t return in that role.
ESPN’s Jorge Castillo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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