Aaron Judge Considers Offseason Elbow Surgery After Flexor Strain-Affected All-Star Season

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is not ruling out offseason surgery for a flexor strain in his right elbow that sidelined him for 10 games in late July. Judge, who stated, "We'll definitely do some work on it," was placed on the injured list in late July, impacting his seventh All-Star season. Upon his return on August 5, he served as designated hitter until September 4, batting .242 with six home runs and 12 RBI over 27 games, though his .415 on-base percentage remained high. The Yankees went 18-9 after his return from a 4-6 slump during his absence. He resumed playing right field on September 5 with limited throwing, eventually building arm strength, including a 90.2-mph throw in the ALDS. His postseason hitting was strong, going 13-for-26 with four walks and seven RBI, including a game-tying three-run home run in ALDS Game 3. Judge finished the regular season leading the majors with a .331/.457/.688 slash line and recorded his fourth 50-homer season.