Judge: 'I don't know why' Boone said I won't throw normally again

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge seemed to take issue with manager Aaron Boone's comments about a timeline for his return to the outfield.

Earlier Tuesday, Boone told WFAN that he wasn't sure when Judge would be ready to play right field again. He added that Judge, who hasn't played the field since late July due to an elbow injury, might not be able to throw "normally" for the rest of the season.

"I don't know why he said that," Judge said when asked about Boone's comment, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. "He hasn't seen me throw for the past two weeks, so I'm pretty confident I'll get back to (100%)."

Boone later walked back his initial remark while meeting with reporters before Tuesday's game in Tampa, saying he "overstated" the issue. He also clarified that he was trying to temper expectations about how Judge might perform in right field.

"I'm just saying, is he going to come back and be the 70-80 (grade) arm that he normally is?" Boone said, per Phillips. "I don't know that I'm expecting that necessarily, but when we get him out there, I would expect him to be able to handle himself.

"I was trying to say, initially, I don't expect him coming out and making Aaron Judge throws that we've become accustomed to seeing."

However, it still remains unclear when Judge might return to his regular position. According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, the two-time MVP has been ramping up his throwing program, recently increasing his range to 150 feet.

Judge's absence in the outfield has resulted in the Yankees running out a makeshift defensive lineup in August.

Giancarlo Stanton, the team's regular DH who dealt with elbow problems earlier this year, has been forced back into the outfield for the first time in two years. Stanton is playing right field on Tuesday, marking his first starting assignment in nearly a week.