Aaron Judge returns to Yankees lineup after three months out with rib fracture

Aaron Judge is back in the New York Yankees lineup for the first time in more than three months. The team reinstated its captain from the 60-day injured list late Monday, clearing the way for the three-time American League MVP to start in right field Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium, with the Yankees fighting to hold off Tampa Bay in the American League East and secure their spot in the postseason field.

Judge has not appeared in a game since May 31. He sustained a stress fracture in his right rib on April 26 while diving for a fly ball, then continued playing through discomfort for another five weeks before the injury forced him to the 15-day injured list on June 3. He was later transferred to the 60-day list on July 18 after an expected four-to-six week recovery stretched on. In all, Judge missed 84 games.

The numbers

Before the injury, Judge had been productive but not at his usual MVP-caliber pace, batting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs through 59 games, an output he compiled partly while playing hurt. The Yankees stood at 36-23 on the day he was hurt. Without him, New York went 45-39, a solid but unspectacular stretch that ESPN noted included one of the American League's weaker offensive stretches, with the club's collective batting line sagging well below league average since June 1.

To open a roster spot, the Yankees designated right-hander Chase Hampton for assignment. Judge skipped a minor league rehab assignment entirely, opting instead to ramp up with live batting practice and baserunning at Yankee Stadium over the weekend.

New York sits at 81-62, four games behind Tampa Bay's 85-58 mark atop the division, with Boston six games back in third at 80-65, according to MLB's current standings. In the wild-card race, the Yankees carry a nine-game cushion in the standings and the Red Sox a seven-game cushion over the Blue Jays and Orioles, who remain mathematically alive but face longer odds with roughly three weeks left. A healthy, productive Judge would strengthen New York's case both for catching Tampa Bay in the division and for entering October with home-field advantage in a potential wild-card matchup.

How the Yankees got here

The rib injury struck at a point when Judge was carrying much of New York's offense, and his absence exposed how thin the lineup could look without him. The Yankees' run production slipped enough that their postseason positioning came to depend more on pitching and bullpen depth than on the middle of the order. Manager Aaron Boone has said repeatedly since midsummer that the team needed its captain back healthy for October, even as New York continued accumulating wins without him. The timeline of Judge's rehabilitation included setbacks that pushed his return back repeatedly from an initial expectation of a June comeback.

Judge, for his part, has been candid about the frustration of the layoff. "I wanted to be back June 1, but that didn't happen," he said, according to MLB.com. Asked about bypassing a minor league assignment before rejoining the Yankees, he added: "I don't see a point. Why waste at-bats?"

The injury interrupted a season in which Judge, the reigning Yankees captain and a three-time league MVP, remains the team's central offensive figure even at 34 years old. His absence coincided with a stretch in which the Yankees leaned more heavily on their pitching staff and complementary bats to stay in playoff position, a formula that kept New York competitive but did not fully replace his power in the middle of the order.

Who is affected

Judge's return reshapes New York's outfield alignment and lineup construction heading into the stretch run, with Boone signaling a gradual reintegration rather than an immediate return to everyday duty.

"Maybe it's playing a game, having an off day. Maybe it is playing 5, 6, 7 innings in a game and get him out. Those things are on the table," Boone said.

The Yankees intend to use Judge as their starting right fielder rather than sliding him into a designated-hitter-only role, a decision that puts additional strain on his still-recovering rib as he resumes defensive reps in the field. His return also reshapes New York's bench and lineup depth in right field, and gives Boone more late-inning flexibility for defensive substitutions down the stretch.

Beyond the roster, the return matters to a Yankees fan base and front office that built the 2026 season around Judge's bat, and to a Rays team now facing a Yankees lineup that regains its most dangerous hitter with roughly three weeks left in the regular season.

What happens next

The Yankees open a three-game series against the Rockies on Tuesday night, and Judge is expected to be in the starting lineup, according to the team's roster. Boone has not committed to a fixed workload plan beyond the near term, saying decisions on rest days and shortened outfield stints will be made day to day as Judge's conditioning is assessed. With roughly three weeks remaining before the postseason, the Yankees will be watching both his production and his physical response to full baseball activity, given that the initial rib fracture was aggravated by his decision to continue playing through pain in May. A clean bill of health over the coming days would allow New York to build toward using Judge in an everyday capacity as it tries to close the gap on Tampa Bay and secure playoff seeding, according to the Yahoo Sports report on his activation and corroborating coverage from the Boston Globe.