Aaron Judge may finally be back in the New York Yankees‘ starting lineup tonight for the first time in three months, but that doesn’t mean we’ll see a lot of the captain right away.
During an appearance on the Talkin’ Yanks podcast on Tuesday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone admitted that fans should expect Judge to be eased back into action, as he will be subbed out early in some games before playing a full nine-inning game.
New York finally activated the 34-year-old from the injured list late Monday night after he missed three months due to a stress fracture in his right rib.
Judge also did not go on a rehab assignment but was seen taking live batting practice and running at Yankee Stadium over the last couple of weeks. Despite his long absence, the Yankees are 45-39 and hold the top Wild Card spot in the American League. New York, however, ranked 26th in runs scored in the 84 games without Judge in the lineup dating back to May 31.
Across just 59 games this season, the three-time AL MVP was slashing .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs, 38 RBI, and a .908 OPS.
With Judge now officially back for the Bronx Bombers, it will be very interesting to see how he is eased back into the lineup. Rookie Spencer Jones has taken the primary reps in right field in Judge’s absence and may continue to see everyday time with Trent Grisham now on the injured list. Ben Rice has taken the majority of reps at DH with trade acquisition Luis Garcia Jr. manning first base.
After their off day on Monday, the Yankees and Judge begin a three-game at the Stadium Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies.
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