Aaron Judge bloodied after Yankees teammate's mistake between innings

Not much is currently going well for the New York Yankees. In the midst of a lengthy stretch of poor play, the Yankees have lost control of first place in the AL East. Between some poor pitching performances and rough offensive numbers, losses are piling up for them.

Apparently, the Yankees cannot even get their between-inning routine down either. Aaron Judge came back into the dugout on Saturday against the New York Mets with a bloody face after getting hit with a baseball. Shortstop Anthony Volpe let one fly in Judge’s direction, and with the Yankees’ captain looking elsewhere, he did not see the ball coming.

“Coming off the field, they have an infielder throw to an outfielder,” Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay began to explain on the broadcast. “Volpe throws it to Judge. You’ll see Judge there, middle of your screen. And he gets thrown the ball, wasn’t looking, and gets hit in the face. So, momentarily, he stops, and will head to the dugout. So, they put a bandaid over it and that’s how it happened right there.

“It’s a ritual they do. If you’re in the stands at Yankee Stadium, you’ll see it. Infielder has the ball, he’ll throw it to the outfielder as he’s coming in.”

Aaron Judge was hit coming off the field with a throw from Anthony Volpe. It is normal for a ball to be thrown to Judge as he comes off the field pic.twitter.com/akXTlhzRvC

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 5, 2025

Thankfully, Judge is alright and remained in the game. As Kay mentioned, a bandage was seen on his face to stop the bleeding, and allowing the Yankees to continue on with their star outfielder. While they wound up losing to the Mets, Judge is the one guy the Bronx Bombers cannot afford to leave the lineup.

As for Volpe, fan opinions are beginning to vary on the young shortstop. While hitting Judge with a ball was certainly a mistake, this will not help.

“I didn’t know what happened initially,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said postgame. “I just saw what felt like something happened. Of course I was concerned. [Judge] had a little cut. In the end, I don’t think it’s anything too serious. Initially, obviously very concerned.”

Judge finished the game 0-4 from the box but was able to draw a walk. Volpe secured an RBI double in the seventh inning, being his lone hit of the afternoon. Between the duo, three strikeouts are in the box score.

Bigger picture, the Yankees suffered another loss to the Mets 12-6. They have now lost six consecutive games and nine of 13. The Toronto Blue Jays now have a three-game lead in the division right before the All-Star break.