He’s back.
Late on Labor Day, the New York Yankees sent shockwaves across the Major League Baseball world by activating their principal slugger and team captain, Aaron Judge.
In a corresponding move, the Yankees designated right-handed pitcher Chase Hampton for assignment.
Judge, 34, last took the field for the Bronx Bombers on May 31 in Sacramento against the Athletics. He then sat out the Yankees’ next few games before officially being placed on the 10-day injured list on June 5 (retroactive to June 2) with a stress fracture in his right rib. New York transferred Judge to the 60-day IL on July 18.
In 59 games before landing on the shelf, the two-time reigning AL MVP was hitting .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs, 38 RBI, a .386 wOBA, 150 wRC+ and 2.1 fWAR. However, Judge was mired in an uncharacteristic slump and hit just .206 with one home run in his last 80 plate appearances.
His injury explained that funk, as Judge was feeling discomfort in his shoulder when swinging a bat, and it became impossible for him to play through by the end of May.
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The Yankees’ lineup struggled greatly once Judge went down. In the 84 games since his injury, the Bronx Bombers ranked dead last in on-base percentage (.295) and strikeout percentage (26.1%), 29th in batting average (.227) and wRC+ (90), 28th in wOBA (.299) and 26th in slugging percentage (.385) despite hitting the 10th most home runs (107).
Judge’s presence in the batting order, even when not at full strength, is a complete game-changer and forces opponents to pitch far more carefully around him, creating opportunities for the rest of New York’s batters.
Earlier in the day, Judge was seen taking live batting practice at Yankee Stadium; he also took live BP during the Yankees’ series against the San Diego Padres over the weekend. Although he would not begin a rehab assignment before returning, Judge insisted that he doesn’t need one.
Even with the offense’s decline without Judge, the Yankees managed to go 45-39 on the strength of a pitching staff that leads MLB with a 3.23 ERA.
New York is only four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for both first place in the AL East and the best record in the American League; both teams will play each other in a four-game series at Yankee Stadium from September 22-24.
The return of Judge should give the Yankees the offensive firepower needed to support their brilliant pitching, and not only makes them a serious threat to overtake the Rays but to make a deep playoff run and win their first World Series since 2009.
Judge will make his highly-anticipated return on Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies have an MLB-worst 5.47 ERA entering their series in the Bronx.
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