Yankees May Reunite With Beloved Outfielder After Aaron Judge Injury

Yankees May Reunite With Beloved Outfielder After Aaron Judge Injury originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Yankees have been largely one of the most active teams in baseball during this year's deadline, working swiftly to acquire Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon and Nationals utilityman Amed Rosario to shore up question marks in their infield.

With Aaron Judge potentially out of the outfield for the rest of the season, forced to the DH spot at least for now due to his flexor strain, the Yankees have reportedly been hot in pursuit of a right-handed hitting outfielder, at least as a placeholder for Judge's defensive prowess.

Due to his price tag, it appears unlikely the Yankees will pursue Luis Robert Jr as a rental, but one name has come up that feels like a solid fit.

When Yankees fans remember Harrison Bader, they think of the outfielder whose acquisition cost them homegrown product Jordan Montgomery in the waning minutes of the 2022 trade deadline, as well as one of the lone bright spots in their disappointing 2023 campaign.

Bader, too, served a consistent role as one of the outfielders who held it down when Judge went down with his broken toe that June, and the Yankees are reportedly interested in bringing back Bader.

ESPN's Jeff Passan named Bader as a player the Yankees are pursuing as the trade deadline comes to its final push, along with relief help and another starting pitcher.

Bader signed a one-year, $6.25 million contract with the Twins prior to this season, and the deal has a 2026 mutual option with the Twins, which includes a $1.5 million buyout.

The Yankees could potentially trade for Bader if they feel the prospect of re-signing Trent Grisham after this season is lofty. Acquiring Bader would make the outfield more crowded, however, as the Yankees already have Jasson Dominguez, Cody Bellinger, Grisham and Judge out there if healthy, plus the possibility of a Spencer Jones late season call-up.

Bader is putting together a solid campaign in 2025, with 12 home runs and 10 stolen bases, along with a .254/.336/.437 slash line, along with solid underlying fielding metrics.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 30, 2025, where it first appeared.