Yankees manager Aaron Boone said his best player avoided a much worse fate in terms of the injury. The team is optimistic he can return to the lineup as soon as he's eligible to be activated from his IL stint. He'll be eased in as the designated hitter to avoid putting too much strain on his elbow.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/yankees as Yankees' Aaron Judge Facing Closest MVP Race in 75 years. Aaron Judge is having another MVP-caliber season for the New York Yankees. But he might not have any hardware to show for it.

Seattle Mariners' star catcher and 2025 Home Run Derby champion, Cal Raleigh, is now the AL betting favorite to win MVP above Aaron Judge.