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 hit third and play right field Tuesday in New York's series opener against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium.
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 said Friday that he didn't want to "waste at-bats" in the minors, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com - he'll still need to rebuild his stamina and regain his footing after missing an extended period. To that end, manager Aaron Boone said Judge's playing time will be limited this week, including Tuesday night.
"I'm gonna treat it like (a rehab game)," Boone said Tuesday, per SNY. "He won't play the whole game today, even though he wants to. I'm gonna be mindful of that, especially this first week. He'll probably have one of the days this series off. ... But (we) want to build him up smartly."
Aaron Boone was asked if Aaron Judge needs to be cautious with diving catches in right field
— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 8, 2026
"Yeah, I'd like him to be cautious with that stuff and he will. If you really watch over the last several years, he's done a good job learning how to rein it in" pic.twitter.com/ac3f2ketgQ
The 34-year-old has been slowly building 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.
Judge's injury halted what was shaping up to be another excellent 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 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.
