Aaron Judge is back in the Yankees lineup, but Aaron Boone isn’t about to hand him the keys and let him drive full speed just yet.
The Yankees activated Judge from the 60-day injured list Monday, setting up his official return Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies. He was in right field and batting third, his first appearance in 100 days after a stress fracture in his right rib ended his season on May 31.
Judge has been out for more than three months, and New York could use every bit of his bat as it tries to make a late push in the American League East. The Yankees are four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays with 19 games left to play.
Boone, though, is planning to ease him back in. Judge wants to play full games, but the manager intends to be careful with his workload as he returns to regular action. Pete Caldera reported that the Yankees could even pull Judge early from some of his first few games, a move designed to let him find his rhythm without putting too much stress on the rib.
That cautious plan fits the way Judge got here. He skipped a minor-league rehab assignment and instead did his work against live pitching and in batting practice with the Yankees.
Before the injury, Judge was hitting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs in 59 games. While he was sidelined, New York went 45-39 and enters Tuesday at 81-62.
The Yankees need Judge in the lineup for what comes next, but keeping him healthy matters even more. A few shorter outings now could help make sure Boone has his best player ready when October gets here.
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New York also brings back a familiar problem in the middle of the order, adding more pressure to a matchup that already looked demanding on paper. For Colorado, the first inning will be worth watching closely, since the tone of the night could be set immediately if the right-handed power in the Yankees' lineup starts seeing Hughes early. [Read more 🡒]