Aaron Judge’s return from an 84-game absence has him back in right field, starting Tuesday night for the host New York Yankees and batting third against the Colorado Rockies.
The three-time American League MVP was reinstated from the 60-day injured list on Monday and could have been projected as the designated hitter in his return. Judge, 34, has not played since May 31 due to a stress fracture in his right first rib. It was initially diagnosed as a bone bruise, but later scans revealed the full extent of the injury.
“I wanted to be back June 1, but that didn’t happen,” Judge said on Aug. 27. “I’ll leave it up to the manager (Aaron Boone) when he wants to put me in there.”
Judge said in June that he believed the injury occurred on a diving play at Houston in late April and that it caused pain in his right (throwing) shoulder.
The stress fracture caused Judge to miss the entire summer, and he did not resume playing catch until mid-August, after previously resuming outdoor running and light baseball activities.
“We’ll be back out there and continue to play smart,” Judge said of playing under control, “especially in the rest of this year and then going into the postseason.”
The Yankees’ captain returns to a team in the thick of a division race in the highly competitive American League East. At 81-62, New York is four games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays and two ahead of the third-place Boston Red Sox.
In 59 games before the injury, Judge batted .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs. The team went 36-23 (.610) with him and 45-39 (.536) while he was out.
Tuesday marks his first home game since May 24, when he hit a walk-off two-run homer against the Rays. Judge did not want to go on a minor league rehab assignment, so there is speculation about him being rusty in his return.
“I’m not too worried about the power or bat speed,” Judge said on Aug. 27. “I feel like even if it’s a tick off, I still think it’s better than nothing.”
Right-hander Gabriel Hughes (0-6, 6.19 ERA) will start for Colorado (55-88) and is seeking his first career win.
