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By Jon Vankin
Contributing Sports Writer
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When Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees' generational hitter and leading candidate to add a third to to his two previous MVP awards, was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, manager Aaron Boone sought to reassure the Yankees fan base, saying that Judge's flexor strain would likely require no more than the mandatory 10 days.
Judge may not play the outfield immediately on his return, but could nonetheless bring his prodigious bat back into the lineup as the Yankees' designated hitter, Boone said.
The 33-year-old seven-time All-Star was on his way to an all-time great season when the elbow injury struck, leading the league in batting average (.342), on-base percentage (.449), slugging (.711), OPS (1.160) as well as walks (73), runs scored (90) and WAR (6.6).
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But will Judge really be back in the lineup, even limited to a DH role, as soon as the Yankees say?
The team is now being accused of "hiding" the full extent of Judge's injury, according to Esteban Quiñones, a Yankees analyst writing for Pinstripes Nation.
The Yankees' 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 players," Quiñones wrote on Wednesday.
Sports injury expert Will Carroll, author of the Under The Knife newsletter, said that Yankee fans should expect a more discouraging scenario for Judge than the team has led them to believe.
"This is worse than a UCL tear," Carroll said on the popular "Foul Territory" podcast. "For a hitter, a flexor tendon — which is what you need to rotate the bat, maintain grip — this is everything. This doesn't heal quickly and often takes a month or even more."
In his newsletter, Carroll explained further, saying that even if his ulnar collateral ligament had been ruptured, Judge could have continued to play, even though that injury often requires Tommy John surgery.
"Even with a UCL sprain or rupture, Judge could play," Carroll wrote on Monday.
"Where a UCL isn't involved in the swing, the flexor really is," he continued. "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."
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The Yankees appear to be aware that Judge's injury may be more severe than they have revealed, according to Yanks Go Yard writer Adam Weinrib. As evidence, he cites 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."
The Yankees' chase after more position players, rather than pitchers, indicates they realize "Judge won't be back quite so soon," according to Weinrib.
But Weinrib was not quite as worried as Carroll, whom he accused of at least some degree of "hyperbole" in his dire assessment of Judge's strained flexor muscles.
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