Aaron Judge’s injury is the last thing the Yankees would have wished during their ongoing slump this season. After playing the first game, Judge could not feature in the Saturday Game against the red-hot Phillies and was not put on a 10-day IL. Before the game had even begun, Judge was not in the lineup, and it was announced that the Yankees captain was dealing with an elbow issue. After an MRI, it was revealed that the slugger is out due to a flexor strain in his right elbow.

While many feared significant damage, the entire Yankees’ squad took a sigh of relief after learning that there is no significant damage to the ulnar collateral ligament that could have led to a Tommy John surgery. With a platelet-rich plasma injected, Judge is bound for a stint on the injured list for at least two weeks.

And even if he returns, he won’t be able to take the fields. However, while the clubhouse is rightfully concerned about their captain’s well-being, Judge felt there was no need for IL at all, instead preferring to be a DH. When asked if he would’ve preferred to DH rather than hit the IL, the 33-year-old simply said, “Oh yeah, oh yeah.” He also added how long the DH discussion went on internally. “Yeah, that’s what took the longest, I think, more than anything.”

Well, as of now, there is no rift reported between the Yankees management and Judge, but the management going against their captain’s will only prove the difference of opinion. He further added, “I really was reluctant about going on any IL or anything like that. I was like, if I can hit it, let me hit it. I’ll start DH-ing, I think, once this 10th day is up.” To fill in for Judge’s short-term absence, the Yankees seriously thought about calling up Spencer Jones.

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However, according to Jon Heyman from the NY Post, “It doesn’t sound like red-hot Spencer Jones will get the call to replace Judge now. Jones missed a game with back spasms. Not sure if that’s the reason they appear to be leaning elsewhere.” Apparently, it’s unlikely that Spencer Jones will replace Judge. That’s because of Jones’ recent back spasms. It’s a potential setback considering his previous Tommy John recovery.

How were Spencer Jones’ major league hopes derailed?

Except for Aaron Judge’s IL saga that swirled within the Yankees’ management, there was another tension that was unfolding beneath the surface. Many of us expected the outfield prospect to step in. After all, he was putting up an amazing set of numbers in Triple-A. He posted 13 home runs across his first 19 games. That is also inclusive of the three crushing home runs he recorded in one game.

It all went downhill when he missed Saturday’s game with the spasms. According to Andy Martino from SNY, this minor injury was the primary reason that derailed his potential call-up to the big leagues. It won’t cost him much time to recover; however, this minor injury cost him a big league opportunity that came at a high-stakes moment.

The Yankees, anyway, don’t see anyone in the trade market worth shipping Jones away for. They even took a step back from having Eugenio Suarez in the mix. The Yankees could now either turn to Bryan De La Cruz or Everson Pereira. Both De La Cruz and Pereira are already on the 40-man roster. But most importantly, if Jones were healthy, would the Yankees have actually called him up? What do you think?

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