Aaron Judge is officially back in the lineup for the Yankees, after three long months on the shelf with a fractured rib injury. That’s right, the captain finally received the green light on Tuesday night, and you know he was absolutely itching to get back out there. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said it best, “It’s a long time coming,” and that Judge “He’s been chomping at the bit.” No kidding! When your leader is out for that long, every single person in the dugout feels it.
The Big Comeback Plan
So, Judge jumps right back into the fire, batting third and playing his usual right field spot in the opener against the Rockies. The good news? He’s not facing any restrictions in his return. But make no mistake, the Yankees are playing this smart. The plan was for him to take three at-bats and play six innings in the field, which is exactly what happened. They opted to skip a minor league rehab assignment, putting all their trust in getting him ready at the big league level. It’s a bold move, but when it’s your captain, you do what you have to do to integrate him back into the team’s rhythm down the stretch.
A Night of Adjustment at the Plate
As for those three at-bats, well, let’s just say the rust was real. In his first trip to the plate, Rockies pitcher Gabriel Hughes got him swinging through a fastball up in the zone. Before that, Judge missed a pair of middle-middle sliders. Talk about a tough welcome back! His second time up, he got ahead 2-1, but then flew out to center. You could almost feel him pressing a bit, trying to make something happen. Finally, in the sixth inning, facing left-hander Mark Manfredi, Judge worked a full count. It was a battle, but he was ultimately called out looking at a fastball on the corner of the zone to end his night. No hits on the stat sheet, but he was out there, competing.
Boone plans to give Judge a full day off at some point during the final two games of this series, and from there, they’ll manage his build-up on a night-to-night basis. The Yankees, of course, are absolutely thrilled to have him back in the mix. Boone summed it up perfectly: “His presence is very real. 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.” And they should be! That kind of leadership in the clubhouse is invaluable, especially as the season moves along. Keep an eye on the rest of this series; we’re all waiting for that first hit back!
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.
Leave a Reply