New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge attended the U.S. Open tennis tournament with his wife, Samantha, on Monday evening. His appearance came hours after he was slated to face live pitching for the first time since suffering a right rib stress fracture.
Judge was activated from the injured list Tuesday, marking his return after a 84-game absence that began on May 31. During this period, the Yankees posted a 45-39 record. The team currently trails the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays by four games and holds a two-game lead over the Boston Red Sox for the top wild-card spot.
At the U.S. Open, Judge and his wife watched Coco Gauff's match against fellow American Iva Jovic at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Yankees rookies Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr., along with Lombard's mother, Judy, were also in attendance.
Judge's return to the Yankees lineup is expected to provide a significant boost. "He's our captain, best player in baseball," pitcher Max Fried had said over the weekend. "To have him back in the lineup is obviously a huge boost. We're definitely a better team when he's in the lineup."
The Yankees were scheduled to begin a three-game home series against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night, with Judge expected to be in the lineup. His return will be his first time playing with Lombard, who joined the team on August 4 and has improved his defensive play, going six consecutive games without an error after a prior streak of errors in six straight games.