Yankees' Judge out vs. Phillies with elbow 'issue'

NEW YORK -- Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge is dealing with a right elbow "issue," according to manager Aaron Boone, and isn't in the team's lineup Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies for just the second time this season.

Judge underwent testing on the elbow Saturday morning after experiencing discomfort throwing the baseball in Friday's night loss for the second time this week. Boone said Judge was slated to see head team physician Christopher Ahmad, a leading Tommy John surgeon, at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.

When asked Saturday if Judge could be dealing with an ulnar collateral ligament injury, which could require Tommy John surgery, Boone said he didn't know.

"He couldn't really get the ball in very well," Boone said. "So, [we] felt like we wanted to have him down and get the imaging, get our hands around just what exactly we're dealing with."

Judge's elbow pain first flared up when he made a throw against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. He started as the Yankees' designated hitter on Wednesday -- Boone at the time said it was a scheduled DH day for him -- and he returned to right field on Friday after an off day. Cody Bellinger got the start in right field Saturday against Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez with Trent Grisham in center field and Jasson Dominguez in left field.

Judge, already a two-time AL MVP, is the front-runner to win the award a third time. He leads the majors in batting average (.342) and OPS (1.160). His 37 home runs rank second.

Losing Judge, 33, the Yankees' captain since the 2023 season, for any extended period would be a season-altering blow for a club that has gone 14-22 since June 13 and fallen from first place in the American League East by 4½ games to second place, 5½ games behind the first-place Blue Jays.

A long absence could also potentially change how general manager Brian Cashman approaches Thursday's trade deadline. Cashman addressed the club's need for an upgrade at third base on Friday when he acquired Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies for two minor league pitchers. McMahon is in the Yankees' starting lineup Saturday, batting eighth, for his debut in pinstripes.

The Yankees are also aggressively pursuing pitchers -- both starters and relievers -- and are open to adding a right-handed-hitting infielder, sources told ESPN. Judge, however, is irreplaceable.

"The thing I want is, 'What do we have here?'" Boone said. "Then what's the course of action? I don't want to get too far ahead of myself with that. Hopefully, it's something that's manageable and we get through it."