The Bronx Bombers are getting their captain back.
Aaron Judge is making his long-awaited return from the 60-day injured list, as the New York Yankees announced his reinstatement ahead of their series against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
Judge has spent the last three months on the injured list with a stress fracture in his right first rib, which he suffered in late May.
On Monday, Judge was seen working out at Yankee Stadium, facing live batting practice and hitting the ball all over the field, indicating he was healthy enough to go against big league arms.
In fact, the Yankees opted not to give Judge a minor-league rehab assignment. Manager Aaron Boone noted there were more creative ways to build Judge’s stamina for a postseason run in September, which includes potentially playing in games with the Yankees and being pulled before nine innings are complete.
Judge has been working his way back since he was cleared to do baseball activities in August. He was simply hitting off a tee, or getting soft toss, before he could take real batting practice on the field. He was seen in San Diego with the team during their West Coast road trip hitting before games.
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Judge has also been facing a high-velocity pitching machine, while doing outfield and baserunning drills to increase his stamina and get him ready for his role in right field once again.
Either way, the Yankees get back their three-time MVP outfielder and a key cog in their hopes of returning to the World Series.
New York is still four games behind the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays, but they own the top American League Wild Card slot with a nine-game lead heading into Tuesday’s start against the Rockies. At 81-62, the Yankees will be gunning for that top spot in the East, especially considering the winner of it will likely own the top AL playoff spot for the postseason.
The Boston Red Sox are also right behind the Yankees at 80-65 thus far.
Judge was hitting .248/.375/.533 with 17 homers and 38 RBI before hitting the injured list on June 5. The Yankees went 45-38 in the 83 games he’s missed.
While the offense struggled to pick up the slack left by Judge, the pitching staff has been stellar throughout his absence. Thus, Judge’s return couldn’t be coming at a better time for the Yankees, as they hope to match their pitching prowess with more consistent offense during this final regular-season push.
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