AllNew York Yankees fans can breathe a sigh of relief after receiving encouraging news from Tampa. Aaron Judge is fully recovered and cleared to participate in Spring Training workouts after dealing with a right elbow flexor strain that affected him during the second half of the 2025 MLB season.
Now the focus shifts to what comes next, as the Yankees captain prepares to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic. Manager Aaron Boone already has a clear plan in place to ensure the slugger is ready for international competition.
“Aaron Boone said Aaron Judge, who dealt with a flexor strain late last season, will be a full go in full-squad workouts starting this week. The plan is for Judge to play in ‘four or five’ of the Yankees’ first nine Grapefruit League games before leaving for the WBC,” reported ESPN journalist Jorge Castillo.
Judge originally suffered the elbow injury in late July, landing on the injured list. Although he returned as a designated hitter, he was unable to throw without pain for several weeks, limiting his defensive role in the MLB playoffs. The biggest relief for the organization came after the season, when an MRI confirmed the elbow had healed naturally and surgery would not be necessary.
The plan for Aaron Judge before the WBC
The New York Yankees have designed a different preparation strategy this Spring Training 2026, increasing the intensity of workouts so Judge can reach peak form for the World Baseball Classic, which begins in early March. Boone wants his star player ready to handle six innings of game action before traveling to Houston to join Team USA’s WBC roster.
That means facing live pitching earlier than usual and going through more demanding sessions throughout February – a faster buildup than the organization typically uses with its franchise players.
Judge will serve as Team USA captain after skipping the 2023 World Baseball Classic to focus on his first season as Yankees captain, recover from the grind of his 62-home-run historic season, and navigate MLB free agency.
With the WBC group stage starting March 6, the Yankees slugger must be ready to play full nine-inning games from the very beginning of the tournament.
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