Aaron Judge is set to return to the New York Yankees lineup Tuesday night, making his first appearance in 99 days. The three-time AL MVP will start in right field and bat third against the Colorado Rockies.
Judge has been sidelined since May 31 with a broken rib, missing 84 games. He opted to forgo a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment before rejoining the team.
Prior to his injury, Judge was hitting .263 with seven home runs and 20 RBIs in 31 games. He had only hit one home run in his previous 18 games before being placed on the injured list. The Yankees held a 36-23 record when Judge last played and a 45-39 record in his absence.
During Judge's absence, the Yankees' team batting average dropped from .243 with an .770 OPS on May 31 to .227 with a .681 OPS. Their batting average ranked 29th among the 30 Major League Baseball teams during this period, ahead of only the Seattle Mariners.
The Yankees entered Tuesday's game with an 81-62 record, trailing the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays by four games. They held a two-game lead over the Boston Red Sox for the top AL wild card spot and possess a potential tiebreaker over Boston.
In the previous season, Judge hit a career-high .331 with 53 home runs and 114 RBIs in 152 games, securing his third MVP award and first batting title. He previously missed 10 games in 2023 due to a flexor strain in his right elbow, which he sustained on a throw to home plate. He underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection and did not require surgery. In another injury-shortened stretch in 2023, Judge missed 42 games with a fractured right big toe after colliding with a stadium fence, returning to hit .245 with 18 homers and 35 RBIs over 57 games.