Yankees fans, after what feels like an eternity, are about to get their superstar back. Aaron Judge, out for what felt like forever with a nasty rib stress fracture, is finally showing signs of life! We’re talking September 2, and the word on the street is he could be back in the lineup within the next week if everything falls into place. But hold up, before you start planning the ticker-tape parade, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller just dropped a truth bomb that might have some Bronx Bombers faithful looking nervously over their shoulders. His prediction? Judge’s return isn’t going to be the instant, jaw-dropping impact everyone’s dreaming of.
Rust or Bust: Judge’s Risky Return
Miller straight up said, “Aaron Judge returns next week, albeit with some rust.” “Some rust?” That’s a polite way of putting it, if you ask me. He’s basically warning everyone: if you’re expecting Judge to step in and immediately blast three homers in his first ten at-bats, you’re in for a rude awakening. And honestly, it’s not some wild guess. Miller’s looking at Judge’s injury comeback history, and it’s a cold dose of reality. Think back to 2018: after a wrist fracture, Judge’s OPS was a seriously underwhelming .675 across his next 12 games. Then 2020 rolled around, and after a calf injury, he put up a miserable .548 OPS to finish out the season. Even in 2023, coming back from a toe injury, he managed a .685 OPS in his first nine games before finally finding his stride. That’s not just “some rust,” that’s a pattern of taking a minute, or maybe a few weeks, to get going. This isn’t just a concern, it’s a full-blown red flag waving right now.
Why the Yankees Can’t Wait
Now, for any other team maybe, just maybe, a superstar needing a few weeks to shake off the cobwebs wouldn’t be the end of the world. But this ain’t “any other team,” and this ain’t “any other time.” The Yankees are deep in a tight AL East race, scrapping tooth and nail with the Tampa Bay Rays for every single win. And as if that’s not enough pressure, they’re also fighting like crazy to keep the Boston Red Sox from stealing the lead in the AL Wild Card race. That Wild Card lead? That’s the difference between a precious home-field series and hitting the road right away in the postseason. You simply cannot wait for Judge to “figure things out” for an extended period when every game, every at-bat, matters this much. Miller’s prediction could put them in a brutal spot. Getting Judge back is huge, absolutely, but sub-par offensive numbers from him right out of the gate would offer zero help in their desperate pursuit of better postseason seeding. Zero!
So, what’s a team to do? Even with the very real chance of an “underwhelming” initial return, the Yankees practically have to get Judge back in the lineup the second he’s cleared. The simple truth is, a rusty Judge who eventually clicks is still better than not having him at all. They’ve gotta activate him now, cross their fingers, and hope those early struggles are short-lived. They need him to turn things around quick, just like he eventually did in 2018 and 2023. This is going to be nail-biting stuff, right? Everyone will be watching to see if Judge can buck his own trends and be an instant impact, or if this initial rust costs the Yankees big time. You just gotta watch this unfold.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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