With a flexor strain set to keep Aaron Judge out for at least 10 days, the Yankees must navigate a critical stretch without their captain.

That got off to a choppy start on Saturday afternoon in the Bronx, as the Yankees suffered a 9-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies with Judge unavailable for the first time this season.

Yankees starter Marcus Stroman struggled with his command, surrendering four runs on five hits and four walks in 3.2 innings. All four walks occurred in the fourth inning, including a bases-loaded free pass to No. 9 hitter Johan Rojas to force in a run.

“I was right around the plate, just missing with a bunch of pitches,” said Stroman, who threw 50 of his 89 pitches for strikes. “Just need to pitch more in the heart of the zone. Just walks. My stuff was really good today.”

Facing a lefty-loaded lineup, the right-handed Stroman was also dinged by J.T. Realmuto’s first-inning RBI single and Harper’s third-inning solo home run.

The Phillies tacked on two runs in the fourth inning and could have scored more had reliever Yerry De los Santos — in his return from elbow discomfort — not gotten Bryce Harper to ground out with the bases loaded to end the frame.

It was the first time in five starts since returning from the injured list for knee inflammation that Stroman surrendered more than three runs or failed to pitch five innings.

“He was doing a pretty good job attacking the zone early,” manager Aaron Boone said.

“I thought [he was] in line with who he’s been since he’s come back, making an effort to be aggressive in the zone and on both sides of the plate against a really challenging lineup for him. And then he kind of lost it a little bit with that zone, and the pitch count got away.”

The loss occurred hours after Judge underwent imaging on his right arm for an injury he suffered on Tuesday in Toronto. An MRI revealed the flexor strain but determined Judge’s ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) was intact — a development Boone described as “good news.”

Still, Judge is going to the injured list. While the Yankees (56-48) hope Judge can return after the minimum 10 days, they expect him to serve exclusively as a designated hitter at first.

Saturday’s game was the first missed by Judge this season. He started all but one of the Yankees’ previous 103 games and appeared in the other as a pinch-hitter.

Without Judge — who leads MLB hitters in batting average (.342), on-base percentage (.449) and slugging percentage (.711) — the Yankees didn’t manage much offense. They went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base.

Jasson Domínguez’s fourth-inning RBI single accounted for the only damage against left-handed Phillies starter Ranger Suárez, who limited the Yankees to one run over 5.2 innings and struck out eight.

Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run home run against reliever Daniel Robert in the bottom of the seventh. Stanton, who did not make his season debut until mid-June due to tennis elbow in both arms, now has seven homers, all in the last 16 games.

“They’re gonna be just fine,” Judge said after Saturday’s game. “Guys are gonna step up. I think that’s what it comes down to. You look over the past couple of years, we’ve had guys get banged up, guys get hurt. I always go back to that 2019 team where I feel like everyone got banged up. We had so many guys step up. … I expect the same thing.”

Part of the solution could be third baseman Ryan McMahon, who went 1-for-3 with a single, a walk and a pair of strikeouts in his Yankees debut.

The Yankees acquired the lefty-swinging McMahon, a 2024 All-Star, on Friday in a trade with the Colorado Rockies for a pair of pitching prospects. McMahon acknowledged a sellout crowd of 46,621 during the Bleacher Creatures’ first-inning roll call by twice tapping the Yankees insignia on his jersey.

“Before the game, they were yelling for me a little bit,” McMahon said. “Very welcoming, so I appreciated that.”

On defense, the slick-fielding McMahon made a diving stop near the foul line, then lasered a throw across the diamond to rob Otto Kemp of an extra-base hit.

“Really special play, and you see the big third-base arm, too, getting up to his feet,” Boone said. “It’s a play he looks like he’s made before and is comfortable doing. He’s a good player and I’m looking forward to him really helping us.”

Saturday’s loss was the third in a row for the Yankees, who are 14-23 since June 13.

The Yankees will attempt to avoid a three-game sweep on Sunday afternoon, with Carlos Rodón (10-7, 3.10 ERA) set to start against Phillies ace Zack Wheeler (9-3, 2.39 ERA).

Originally Published: July 26, 2025 at 3:20 PM EDT