Yankees to activate Judge Tuesday, place Slater on IL

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge will be activated from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday, manager Aaron Boone confirmed following Monday's game, according to YES Network.

Judge returns after having spent the minimum number of days on the IL. He was initially sidelined on July 26 with a flexor strain in his right elbow from a throw a few days earlier.

The two-time AL MVP spent Monday taking swings at the Yankees' minor-league complex in Tampa. He was expected to join the team in Arlington, Texas, late Monday night.

Due to the nature of his elbow injury, Judge will have to exclusively DH for the foreseeable future. There's no timetable for when he might return to the outfield, although Boone stated earlier Monday that he might be able to start playing catch soon.

Judge, 33, was in the midst of another monster season before his injury. The favorite to win his third MVP in the last four years, he's hitting .342/.449/.711 with 37 homers and 85 RBIs, and entered Monday leading the majors in all four slash-line categories plus OPS and total bases, while topping AL hitters in runs scored.

The Yankees plan to clear an active roster spot for Judge by placing outfielder Austin Slater on the 10-day injured list. Slater, making just his second start with the Yankees after being acquired from the Chicago White Sox, exited Monday's game with left hamstring tightness after coming up lame while running out a ground ball in the first inning.

Slater, 32, told reporters that he's not yet sure how long he'll be sidelined. He's expecting to get an MRI in Texas to determine the severity of his injury, per YES.

The ripple effects of Judge having to DH and Slater heading to the IL could force Giancarlo Stanton to play defense for the first time since 2023.

The reeling Yankees lost 8-5 to the Texas Rangers Monday after another late-game bullpen meltdown.