Aaron Judge is back in the Yankees’ lineup, and that alone was enough to lift the mood in the Bronx. His first game back wasn’t exactly a fireworks show - he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in a shortened outing - but getting him back on the field mattered.
The roster move that made it possible carried a much tougher message for New York. To clear room for Judge on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated former top prospect Chase Hampton for assignment.
That’s a rough turn for a pitcher who, not long ago, looked like one of the brighter arms in the system. In 2023, Hampton shared the organization’s Kevin Lawn Award with Ben Rice, honoring the top position player and pitcher in the farm system each year.
He was 21 then, in his first pro season, and split time almost evenly between Hudson Valley and Somerset. Across those stops, he posted a 3.63 ERA, a 33.1% strikeout rate and an 8.4% walk rate.
A Texas Tech product with a big arm and big strikeout numbers, he looked like a fast mover.
The next two years wrecked that momentum. Hampton threw only 18 2/3 innings in 2024 after a flexor strain and a groin injury derailed most of his season.
Then spring training in 2025 brought the biggest setback of all: a torn UCL and Tommy John surgery. He had already been managing three partial tears in the ligament, but this time it was a full tear.
“I was kind of hoping it was torn, honestly. I mean, I was dealing with it for a while.
I’ve had three partial tears in it, so I was just hoping that it was time to have [the surgery]. So before I even found out, I was kind of at peace with it,” Hampton said just four days after going under the knife.
There was at least some hope that the long rehab would eventually lead him back to where he was in 2023. Instead, he has spent time in Tampa, Hudson Valley, and Somerset this year, logging 55 innings and struggling badly with his command. His ERA sits at 8.18.
At his peak, Hampton was no ordinary fringe name. He showed up on top-100 lists from Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, ranging from No. 56 to No.
- A young right-hander capable of touching 99 as a starter and missing bats the way he did would have drawn real attention on the trade market.
The Yankees kept him, and now the return is close to zero. That’s not a new story in this organization, but Hampton’s case is a reminder that a prospect can lose value in more ways than one.
This wasn’t just a talented player stalling out in the upper minors. Injuries took the edge off the whole thing.
It also feeds a larger lesson for New York. The club would likely be better served by moving more of these premium prospects when the chance is there and using them to help the big league roster right now. Brian Cashman has often gone the other direction, dealing from the middle of the system while hanging onto the top names.
That approach tends to produce smaller returns, and it forces the Yankees to package more pieces just to complete a deal. And when the veteran they acquire falls short while a younger player elsewhere turns into a star, the sting is obvious.
The best prospects do not have a dramatically better hit rate than the next tier down, but the veterans those prospects can help land are far more likely to move the needle immediately. If you’re giving up a future star for a present-day one, that’s a trade you can live with - especially if it helps bring a title home.
As for Hampton, he may still clear through and remain in the organization. He’s not finished yet, but the road back is long and steep.
In Other News...
Yankees Suddenly Face An Infield Decision They Didn't Expect
Jazz Chisholm Jr. gave the Yankees a jolt in the middle of a game against the Rockies when he injured his thumb sliding into second base and had to leave after dealing with numbness. For a club that has already spent plenty of time sorting out its infield mix, the timing makes this more than a minor scare, especially with Aaron Boone saying the team will keep monitoring Chisholm and see whether more testing becomes necessary if the symptoms worsen.
The immediate concern is less about one awkward slide than what it could mean for the alignment around the rest of the roster. If Chisholm needs any time at all, the Yankees may have to adjust on the fly, and Anthony Volpe is among the names that could factor into those decisions as Boone and the front office try to protect the infield without losing too much flexibility. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Have A Gerrit Cole Concern They Can't Ignore In October
Gerrit Cole is back on the mound for the Yankees after Tommy John surgery, and the early signs have been encouraging enough to keep him squarely in the October conversation. His fastball velocity has held up close to where it was before the injury, which is the kind of baseline the Yankees needed to see as they assess what he can still give them in the stretch run and beyond.
The larger question is whether the stuff behind that fastball will play the same way when the games get tighter and the lineups get deeper. Some of the underlying numbers point to trouble, with harder contact showing up and the breaking pitches not landing with the same bite, which leaves New York with a familiar postseason dilemma: the name on the back of the jersey still carries weight, but the margin for error may not be as wide as it once was. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Needed Their Supporting Cast As Aaron Judge's Return Took A Turn
Aaron Judges return after 100 days back in the Yankees lineup came with the kind of reminder this club has been living with for weeks: the star can steady the room, but he does not have to carry every night. Judge went hitless in his first game back, yet the Yankees still left with a 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies, getting the sort of help that has often been necessary when the offense needs a lift.
Cody Bellinger helped set the tone by scoring the first run and adding a double in the eighth inning, while Heliot Ramos delivered the biggest swing with a three-run home run. Aaron Boone also pulled Judge after six innings to keep him protected as he continues ramping up for the postseason, a small but telling sign that the Yankees are trying to balance the return of their centerpiece with the broader need to keep everyone else engaged and ready. [Read more 🡒]