Aaron Judge returns to the New York Yankees after a 99-day absence with a broken rib, starting in right field and batting third Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies, according to the team.
The three-time AL MVP had been out for 84 games since his last appearance on May 31. The 34-year-old opted against a minor league rehab stint before rejoining the big-league club.
Aaron Judge returns to the Yankees lineup
Judge came back hitting .248 with 17 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .907 OPS. He was hurt on April 26 in Houston while trying to avoid second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. on an unsuccessful diving attempt in the outfield.
Before going on the injured list, he batted .263 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in 31 games, including just one homer in his final 18 games before the layoff.
New York was 36-23 after Judge’s most recent game on May 31, then went 45-39 while he was sidelined. Through May 31, the Yankees hit .243 with 86 homers and a .770 OPS over 59 games.
In Judge’s absence, they batted .227 with 107 homers and a .681 OPS. That batting average ranked 29th in MLB over that span, ahead of only Seattle at .225.
The Yankees entered play at 81-62, four games behind AL East leader Tampa Bay and two games ahead of Boston at 80-65 for the top AL wild-card spot. New York holds the potential tiebreaker over the Red Sox after taking the season series.
Judge is coming off a career year, hitting .331 with 53 homers and 114 RBIs in 152 games last season. He missed 10 games from July 26 to Aug. 4 with a right elbow flexor strain sustained on a throw to the plate on July 22 in Toronto.
He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and did not need offseason surgery. This kind of treatment is increasingly common among stars across pro sports, including NFL veterans such as Harrison Smith.
This is not the first time Judge has skipped a rehab assignment. In 2023, after missing 42 games with a fractured right big toe from a collision with the right-field fence at Dodger Stadium, he returned and hit .245 with 18 homers, 35 RBIs and a .965 OPS over 57 games.
The Yankees host their home games at Yankee Stadium, and Judge’s return is expected to provide a major boost to their offense down the stretch.
The MLB playoff picture remains tightly contested, with New York jockeying for position in both the division and wild-card races.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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