After three long months sidelined by a fractured rib injury, Aaron Judge finally made his highly-anticipated return to the Yankees lineup Tuesday night, but the slugger went hitless across three plate appearances. It was a moment New York fans have been waiting for, yet the box score tells a story of immediate struggle, even as his presence clearly energized the team.
The Captain Is Back, Sort Of
It truly has been a minute, hasn’t it? Judge has been grinding through his recovery for weeks, and the green light finally came through for Tuesday night’s opener against the Rockies. Manager Aaron Boone summed up the vibe perfectly, saying, “It’s a long time coming. He’s been chomping at the bit.” The good news is Judge isn’t facing any restrictions, so he jumped right back into his familiar spot, batting third and playing right field. The Yanks are playing it smart with his build-up though, opting to skip a minor league rehab assignment and planning his return on the big league stage, meaning they are watching him closely.
The Struggle at the Plate
It wasn’t exactly a triumphant return at the dish for the captain. In his first plate appearance back, Gabriel Hughes got him to strike out swinging after Judge missed two middle-middle sliders before swinging through a fastball up in the zone. Rough start, for sure. His second time up, Judge got ahead 2-1 in the count before flying out to center field. He worked a full count in the sixth inning against left-hander Mark Manfredi, but then got rung up looking at a fastball on the corner of the zone, ending his night without a hit. He played six innings in the field, which was part of the team’s plan.
Playing It Smart Down the Stretch
Boone definitely knows they have to be smart here. He expects to give Judge a full day off sometime during the final two games of this series against the Rockies, and his build-up will be handled on a night-to-night basis from here on out. Even without a hit in his comeback game, the Yankees organization is absolutely thrilled to have their leader back in the mix. Boone nailed it when he said, “His presence is very real.” He added, “Obviously you know what he means to those guys not only as a player but as a person in that room and as a captain, so I think that everyone is excited that he’s back obviously.”
What’s next for Judge is seeing how that night-to-night build-up unfolds. He’s got at least two more games in this series, and everyone will be watching to see if he can shake off the rust and start making an impact at the plate. His return is a massive boost, even with the 0-for-3.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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