Yankees

Aaron Judge Returns as Yankees Make Their Final Push for the AL East

By ••4 min read
Aaron Judge Returns as Yankees Make Their Final Push for the AL East

AI Overview

The Yankees reinstated captain and right fielder Aaron Judge from the 60-day injured list on September 8, ending his three-month absence caused by a stress fracture in his first right rib. Judge has not played since May 31, but he was scheduled to face live pitching Monday and could debut against Colorado as soon as Tuesday. New York designated right-hander Chase Hampton for assignment to clear roster space.

Aaron Judge is back.

And if you’re wondering whether the Yankees just got the biggest possible boost with the postseason sitting right in front of them, the answer is pretty obvious.

The New York Yankees announced Monday that they have reinstated captain and right fielder Aaron Judge from the 60-day injured list, officially ending a three-month absence that has completely changed the complexion of this team.

To make room for Judge on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated right-hander Chase Hampton for assignment.

But forget about the roster move for a second.

Aaron Judge is coming back.

Judge has not played since May 31 after trying to play through a stress fracture of his first right rib. The injury happened April 26 in Houston when Judge made an awkward diving play while trying to avoid a collision with Jazz Chisholm Jr.

And somehow, Judge continued playing for more than a month.

Eventually, the pain became too much.

ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement

The Yankees placed him on the 10-day injured list June 5, retroactive to June 2, before transferring him to the 60-day IL on July 18.

There was no rushing this one.

Imaging in July showed the rib was healing, but not enough for Judge to immediately return to baseball activities. From there, the Yankees slowly increased his workload.

Running. Fielding. Cage work. On-field batting practice. High-velocity machine work.

Now comes the part everybody has been waiting for.

Live pitching.

Judge was scheduled to face live pitching Monday for the first time since the injury. Manager Aaron Boone has not ruled out a Tuesday debut against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium, although the Yankees could also wait until Wednesday or Thursday to give Judge additional live at-bats and work on the Trajekt machine.

Judge has also made it clear that he would prefer to skip a minor-league rehab assignment, just as he did when returning from his 2023 toe injury.

And Boone intends to put him right back where he belongs — in right field.

Not hiding him at designated hitter.

Right field.

Before the injury, Judge was hitting .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs in 59 games. His 150 OPS+ tells you just how productive he was despite the ugly batting average.

The Yankees were 36-23 when Judge last played.

Since then?

45-39.

New York enters this homestand at 81-62, sitting four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East while maintaining a strong position in the Wild Card race.

But anybody watching this team over the last three months knows exactly what has been missing.

The Yankees’ offense fell toward the bottom of baseball in runs per game, batting average, OPS and wRC+ after Judge went down.

That is not a coincidence.

Judge is not just another bat in this lineup. He changes how opposing pitchers attack everybody around him. He changes the middle of the order. He changes the pressure on the opposing manager.

And now he’s walking back into a Yankees lineup that desperately needs exactly that.

Max Fried called Judge’s return a “huge boost.”

He’s right.

The Yankees have roughly three weeks left in the regular season, and the timing could not be better.

Now comes the big question: how quickly can Aaron Judge look like Aaron Judge?

Nobody should expect him to walk into Yankee Stadium after three months away and immediately look like he never left.

Timing takes time.

But even if Judge needs a few games to get completely locked in, having that presence back in the lineup changes everything for the Yankees.

And with Tampa Bay still sitting four games ahead, New York doesn’t have the luxury of waiting around.

The Yankees spent three months trying to survive without their captain.

Now they get to find out what they can do with him back.

NYY.NEWS SHOP - MEMORABILIA, CLOTHING & MORE