Aaron Judge Will Not Require Elbow Surgery; Rodón, Volpe Expected To Start 2026 On IL

Yankees manager Aaron Boone held a press conference today and provided some notable updates about players on the roster. Outfielder Aaron Judge will not require offseason surgery on his right elbow. However, left-hander Carlos Rodón underwent a procedure to remove loose bodies from his left elbow. He will be no-throw for eight weeks and will likely miss the start of next season. Shortstop Anthony Volpe, who had shoulder surgery this week, won’t be able to hit for four months and won’t be able to dive for six months. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic was among those to relay the updates (tweet one, two and three). General manager Brian Cashman also confirmed, per Greg Joyce of The New York Post, that Volpe will indeed start the season on the injured list.

The news on Judge is obviously good. He was diagnosed with a flexor strain in July. Though his stint on the IL was minimal, he was limited to designated hitter duties in August. This was a bit awkward, as it forced Giancarlo Stanton into the field, surely more than the Yankees had planned on. Judge gradually played the outfield more throughout September and into October.

If Judge had required Tommy John surgery or some other significant elbow operation, that would have had lingering impacts into the 2026 season, though it seems Judge will be expected to be a full-time outfielder again next year. That should allow the Yankees to go into 2026 planning on having Judge in right and Stanton in the DH slot.

The outfield will still be a focus this offseason, however. Trent Grisham is an impending free agent. Cody Bellinger is going to opt out of his contract and hit the open market as well. That leaves Judge and Jasson Domínguez as the two outfield holdovers. A former top prospect, Domínguez has yet to fully break out. 2025 was his largest stretch of big league playing time. He produced roughly league average offense with poor defense.

Per Kirschner, Boone expects Domínguez to be a regular with the Yanks next year but the skipper added the caveat that it depends what moves happen this offseason. The Yanks could pursue reunions with Bellinger and/or Grisham while the free agent market also features names like Kyle Tucker, Harrison Bader and Cedric Mullins. The trade market should feature names like Lars Nootbaar, Alec Burleson, Adolis García and others. Per Jack Curry of the YES Network, Cashman said he would love to have Bellinger back but the Yankees haven’t had any offseason discussions yet. Per Kirschner, Cashman says that prospect Spencer Jones has also put himself in the mix for a job next year, though that also depends on what happens in the offseason.

The Rodón news is obviously less pleasant. It doesn’t appear as though he’s slated for a huge absence, but the Yanks will go into the season with a few guys on the IL. Gerrit Cole had Tommy John surgery in March of last year. He should return at some point in 2026 but Boone confirmed today, per Kirschner, that Cole would not be ready by Opening Day. Clarke Schmidt had his own TJS in July and will be out well into the 2026 campaign.

Those arms could provide nice in-season boosts to the rotation but the Yanks will have to begin the campaign without them. As of right now, the Opening Day rotation projects as Max Fried, Luis Gil, Cam Schlittler and Will Warren. The Yankees will presumably look to bolster that before Opening Day. It’s possible they end up with a crowded group once Rodón and Cole get back on the mound but other injuries are fairly inevitable. The free agent market is headlined by guys like Framber Valdez, Tatsuya Imai, Dylan Cease and Ranger Suárez, while the trade market could feature MacKenzie Gore, Joe Ryan and plenty others.

As for Volpe, it seems Boone still views him as the shortstop once he’s healthy. “Yeah, he’s right in the mix to do that,” Boone said today, per Kirschner. Cashman also admitted today, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, that the shoulder issue was impacting Volpe during the season.

That’s backed up by the numbers. Volpe’s defensive metrics dropped significantly this year. He had six Defensive Runs Saved and 14 Outs Above Average in 2024 but 2 DRS and -7 OAA in 2025. His offense finished in a similar spot to previous seasons but he seemed to drop off a cliff once he suffered the injury. He had a .237/.328/.456 slash and 119 wRC+ through the end of April, just a few days before injuring his shoulder. He hit .205/.255/.374 for a 74 wRC+ from the start of May onwards.

Going into 2026, the Yankees could look to external options, though there aren’t surefire answers out there. The free agent market is headlined by Bo Bichette, who is an excellent hitter but a poor defender. Guys like Ha-Seong Kim and Trevor Story could be out there via opt-outs, though there are issues there as well. Kim is coming off a poor season after recovering from shoulder surgery. Story had a bounceback year after his own injury odyssey but he’s about to turn 33 and may not opt out anyway. CJ Abrams may be available in trade but he’s not a great defender either and the bat is inconsistent.

Perhaps the Yankees will let José Caballero hold the job until Volpe is healthy. Caballero played well after being acquired at the deadline. Braden Shewmake is on the roster as depth and the Yanks could bring in some veteran utility types.

Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images