Judge Reinstated: Yankees Captain Returns After 3-Month IL Stretch

Aaron Judge was reinstated from the 60-day injured list on Monday and is expected to play in Tuesday's series opener against the Colorado Rockies after three months sidelined by a right rib stress fracture suffered April 26 during a pop-fly attempt at Houston. Judge faced live pitching for the first time since late May on Monday, per MLB.com. His recovery path progressed from tee-and-toss drills to overhand batting practice, including twice during the Yankees' series in San Diego, and included work on velocity machines, base running, and outfield drills. During a Saturday workout, Judge delivered a one-hop throw to third base from medium-depth right field. Manager Aaron Boone said Judge was "close to the endgame of being ready to play" as of the past weekend. Judge was cleared to resume baseball activities in August. He declined a Minor League rehab assignment, saying "I don't see a point. Why waste at-bats?" and stated: "I'm not too worried about the power or bat speed. I feel like even if it's a tick off, I still think it's better than nothing." The Yankees were 36-23 (.610) when Judge last played; through Sunday, they were 45-39 (.536) without him. From June 1 through Sunday, the Yankees ranked 26th in the Majors in runs scored, per MLB.com. Judge said he wanted to return by June 1 but that did not materialize. The Yankees intend to have Judge return as the starting right fielder, not simply as a designated hitter. One scenario Boone indicated is "on the table" involves Judge playing five to seven innings per game initially. Boone said Judge would be encouraged to avoid diving if possible to prevent re-injury.