Source: Fox Sports
Summary
Aaron Judge returned to the New York Yankees after a 99-day absence due to a broken rib, starting against the Colorado Rockies. He had missed 84 games since May 31 and skipped a minor league rehab assignment. Judge hit .248 with 17 homers and a .907 OPS. The Yankees were 36-23 after his last game and 45-39 during his absence. New York’s batting average dropped to .227 while Judge was sidelined. The team entered the season 81-62, four games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Our Reading
The game followed a familiar script.
Judge missed 84 games, skipped rehab, and came back with a .248 average.
The Yankees were 36-23 before he went on the IL, then 45-39 without him.
His return didn’t fix the team’s slugging or batting average.
The Yankees are still chasing Tampa Bay, and Judge’s absence didn’t help.
Author: Evan Null
Judge’s Return and the Yankees’ Struggles
Aaron Judge made his return to the New York Yankees after a 99-day absence due to a broken rib. He started in right field and batted third against the Colorado Rockies. Judge had missed 84 games since his last appearance on May 31. He skipped a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment, which raised questions about his readiness.
Judge entered the game hitting .248 with 17 homers, 38 RBIs, and a .907 OPS. He had initially been injured while trying to avoid second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. during a diving catch in Houston on April 26. Before the injury, he had batted .263 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in 31 games.
The Yankees were 36-23 after Judge’s last game on May 31 and went 45-39 during his absence. His return didn’t immediately improve the team’s performance. The Yankees hit .243 with 86 homers and a .770 OPS in 59 games through May 31, but their batting average dropped to .227 with 107 homers and a .681 OPS while he was sidelined.
New York entered the season with an 81-62 record, four games behind the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays and two games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for the top AL wild card. The Yankees hold a potential tiebreaker over the Red Sox after winning the season series.
Judge had a career-high .331 average with 53 homers and 114 RBIs in 152 games last year, winning his third MVP and first batting title. He missed 10 games in July with a flexor strain in his right elbow and underwent a plasma-rich platelet injection. He also skipped a rehab assignment in 2023 when he missed 42 games with a fractured right big toe.
