The American League MVP has been Aaron Judge’s to lose for pretty much the entire 2025 season. However, when he landed on the injured list over the weekend, the odds flipped in Cal Raleigh’s favor for the first time all year.

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has taken over as the American League MVP favorite with his closest rival, Aaron Judge, heading to the injured list. Raleigh hit home runs in consecutive games over the weekend to extend his major league lead to 41.

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.