TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees star Aaron Judge said the team’s training and medical staff told him he wouldn’t need surgery to repair a flexor tendon strain in his right elbow, not long after the club’s playoff exit last year.
“They ran all their checks again,” Judge said Monday, “and did all the tests. They said, ‘You’re good to go,’ and I said, ‘All right, when can I start throwing?’ It was good.”
Judge said the elbow is now “feeling great” and that he hasn’t “had any issues so far.”
“I’m throwing out there confident,” said Judge, who was speaking to the media for the first time this spring at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Aaron Judge says he has “no worries” about his elbow. #Yankees pic.twitter.com/3LNMUrNrlx
— Brendan Kuty 🧟♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) February 16, 2026
Judge, 33, said he has already started throwing to bases, and he ramped up his preseason workouts to be ready for the World Baseball Classic, where he’ll be the captain of Team USA. The team’s first game is slated for March 6.
On Monday, he faced top Yankees pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange, who repeatedly threw more than 100 mph. Judge homered off him once.
Judge had been spotted throwing at the team’s player development complex and doing light work at Steinbrenner Field before Monday, which was the Yankees’ first full-squad workout. Pitchers and catchers officially started last week.
Judge injured his elbow making a throw in Toronto in late July, and after a short stint on the injured list, he returned to play 27 consecutive games as a designated hitter. He then returned to the outfield and didn’t test his elbow much until later in the year.
Judge said he took only two weeks off from throwing this offseason, and that he was able to “really let it go” at some points.
“There were some tough moments during the year, especially,” he said of the injury. “I’ve never dealt with any elbow stuff. I was definitely concerned, but I knew where we were at as a team and how important those last couple games were at the end of the year.
“I was trying everything I could to be out there. I wouldn’t have it any other way. If something were to happen or if it were to get worse, I’d rather be doing it on the field than anywhere else. We had a great training staff. They were honest with me. They were slowing me down when I needed to slow down. They (speeded) me up when I needed to. I was a little concerned at times.”
But eventually, that concern gave way to relief and a mostly normal offseason.
“It was great to hear those words, knowing that I could go into the offseason and just prepare the way I need to be in the best shape to start the year,” he said.