All rise. The reigning AL MVP is back in the box.
The New York Yankees activated Aaron Judge from the 60-day injured list Monday after he missed over three months due to a stress fracture in his rib. Judge will presumably be in the lineup when the Yankees begin a series against Colorado in the Bronx on Tuesday.
Judge last appeared in a game on May 31 against the Athletics, when he went 1-for-4 before leaving after seven innings. He was officially placed on the IL four days later. Judge then revealed that he'd been playing through the injury for over a month before the issue finally forced him to the sidelines.
Because he's not going on a minor-league rehab assignment, Judge will still need to rebuild his stamina and get his footing back after missing an extended period. Manager Aaron Boone suggested over the weekend that it's possible he'll only play five-to-seven innings during some of his first games back, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
"I don't see a point," Judge said Friday about a potential rehab assignment, per Hoch. "Why waste at-bats?"
The 34-year-old has been slowly building up toward his return through hitting and fielding drills with the big club over the last few weeks. Judge took on-field swings for the first time since his injury Friday in San Diego, and was scheduled to get his first look at live pitching since May on Monday at home.
Judge's injury halted what was shaping up to be another stellar season for the eight-time All-Star. He hit .248/.375/.533 with 17 homers, 38 RBIs, 42 walks, and five steals over his first 59 games.
New York managed to survive life without its captain, going 45-38 in his absence to remain within sight of the first-place Rays in the AL East. The 81-62 Yankees own the top AL wild-card spot, but are just four games back of Tampa Bay in the division.
Some off-day news:#Yankees have reinstated Aaron Judge from IL. #Rays have a 4-game lead in AL East with 19 games remaining.
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) September 8, 2026
Teams play 4 games in 3 days Sept. 22-24 in NY.
Tiebreaker is still TBD.
Rookie Spencer Jones and deadline acquisition Heliot Ramos were among those who filled in for Judge in right field. Jones proved to be a capable replacement, hitting .246/.320/.447 with nine homers and 31 RBIs over 70 games.
To make room for Judge on the 40-man roster, New York designated right-hander Chase Hampton for assignment.
