The New York Yankees activated star outfielder Aaron Judge from the 60-day injured list on Monday night, bringing their captain back to the active roster just in time for the final 19 games of the regular season.
Judge, who has been out since May 31 with a broken right rib, returns without taking part in a minor league rehabilitation assignment. The 34-year-old three-time MVP insisted throughout his recovery that live minor league games were unnecessary.
“If I tell them I’m ready to go play, I think we’re ready to go play,” Judge said on Aug. 27. “I’m not a pitcher. I’m a position player. I can get my reps down here in the cage. I’m in every game. I’m sitting there in the dugout watching every game, feeling the environment, feeling the energy, so I don’t think there’s going to be much of a difference.”
The slugger showed clear signs of progress on the team’s recent West Coast road trip, running the bases and taking multiple batting practice sessions on the field in San Diego. His return comes as New York opens a three-game home series against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.
Judge’s presence arrives at a crucial point in the pennant race. The Yankees (81-62) trail the first-place Tampa Bay Rays by four games in the American League East. New York currently holds a two-game lead over the Boston Red Sox (80-65) for the top AL wild-card spot, along with the season-series tiebreaker. The top wild-card seed earns home-field advantage throughout the best-of-three Wild Card Series.
Without Judge, New York’s lineup struggled significantly over an 84-game stretch. The team posted a 45-39 record in his absence after starting the year 36-23. The club’s offensive metrics plummeted across the board:
- Batting Average: Dropped from .243 through May 31 to .227 while Judge was out, ranking 29th out of 30 Major League Baseball teams during that span.
- OPS: Dropped from .770 to .681 without their central power hitter.
- Home Runs: Hit 86 home runs in 59 games with Judge, compared to 107 in 84 games without him.
Before going down, Judge was batting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs. He initially suffered an injury on April 26 in Houston while trying to avoid second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a diving catch, though he played through May 31. Over his final 18 games before going on the injured list, his only home run was a game-ending, two-run shot against Tampa Bay on May 24 that broke a career-worst 11-game RBI drought.
This is not the first time the veteran outfielder has skipped minor league tune-ups. Judge similarly bypassed a rehab assignment in 2023 after missing 42 games with a fractured right big toe caused by a crash into the fence at Dodger Stadium. Conversely, when he missed two months with a left oblique strain in 2019, he played five games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Last season, Judge won the batting title by hitting a career-high .331 with 53 home runs and 114 RBIs in 152 games. That campaign also included a brief 10-game stint on the injured list for a flexor strain in his right elbow, which was treated with a platelet-rich plasma injection rather than surgery.
To clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Judge, the Yankees designated right-handed pitcher Chase Hampton for assignment. The team had already cleared an active roster spot after Sunday’s game in San Diego by optioning right-hander Elmer Rodríguez to Triple-A.
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