After over three months on the injured list, Aaron Judge is back in action. The Yankees announced that Judge has been reinstated from the 60-day IL, in advance of New York’s game with the Rockies on Tuesday. Right-hander Elmer Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A yesterday, and right-hander Chase Hampton was designated to create room for Judge on the 40-man roster (even though the Yankees already had an open 40-man slot).
The right rib stress fracture that led to Judge’s long absence is thought to have been caused on April 26, as Judge said he was hurt after trying to make a diving catch in right field. He continued to play through the discomfort for over a month, which likely explains the underwhelming .528 OPS Judge posted in the 57 plate appearances before his IL placement. Judge’s last game was on May 31, and New York placed him on the 15-day IL three days later.
Initially projected for an absence of 4-6 weeks, Judge ended up missing over half the season due to lingering soreness that delayed his ability to begin full baseball activities. The move to the 60-day IL on July 18 ensured that Judge wouldn’t be back until at least the start of August, yet it was still another month before the slugger was given the green light to return to the lineup.
The apparent final step came today, when Judge took part in a live batting-practice session at Yankee Stadium. Judge has long downplayed the need for a minor league rehab assignment, so despite the extended layoff, he’ll head right into game action on Tuesday.
Some ease-in element is still in play, as manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner) over the weekend that Judge will likely not immediately be used in a full everyday capacity. “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.
Ben Rice has been getting the majority of DH duty, with Luis Garcia Jr. playing first base exclusively all year with the Yankees and Nationals. Since Garcia struggles against left-handed pitching, he could be benched when a southpaw is starting, which would allow Judge to be the DH and Rice the first baseman. For games when a righty is on the mound, the Yankees could use Rice, Garcia, and Judge all in the same lineup, with Judge in his usual spot in right field.
With Trent Grisham on the injured list, New York’s first-choice outfield alignment is Judge in right field, Spencer Jones in center, and Cody Bellinger in left. Jasson Dominguez, Heliot Ramos, and utilitymen Jose Caballero and Amed Rosario provide further outfield depth. Since Giancarlo Stanton’s season could be over, the Yankees have some flexibility with the DH spot, though the Garcia/Rice combination has largely filled that hole.
The Yankees are four games behind the Rays for the AL East lead, with four more head-to-head games still remaining. While the division title is still a possibility, New York is also trying to stay ahead of the Red Sox for the top AL wild card slot (and thus homefield advantage in the Wild Card Series). Though the Yankees’ exact spot in the playoff bracket is still up in the air, New York is all but guaranteed a postseason berth, so the team’s priority in regards to Judge is simply making sure that the three-time AL MVP is fully healthy for October.
New York had a 36-23 record when Judge went on the injured list, and the team has gone 45-39 without its best player. Much of the credit for this continued success goes to the Yankees’ excellent rotation and bullpen, as the team’s offense has almost vanished in the last three-plus months. Since June 1, the Yankees have hit a collective .227/.295/.385, and only the Angels have a worse team wRC+ than the Yankees’ 90 wRC+ in that stretch.
While such notable bats as Stanton and Grisham remain on the IL, getting Judge back is far and away the most critical factor in New York’s ability to launch a serious World Series run. The Yankees’ pitching has been so good that it’s not out of the question that the team could squeak out a lot of low-scoring games en route to a championship, but obviously having Judge in the lineup elevates the entire roster.
Hampton was a sixth-round pick for the Yankees in the 2022 draft, and he drew some notice on top-100 prospect lists prior to the 2024 season. Injuries limited him to 18 2/3 minor league innings in 2024, and a Tommy John surgery in February 2025 then put Hampton’s career entirely on hold for an entire season.
Returning to game action in back in May, Hampton has struggled to regain any of his old form. The right-hander has an 8.18 ERA over 55 combined innings at three different minor league levels, with 13 home runs allowed in that small sample size (plus a 12.9% walk rate and 21.3% strikeout rate). He also spent much of August on the temporarily inactive list before returning to make two more starts for Double-A Somerset.
Hampton can’t reject an outright assignment if he clears waivers, but the DFA could indicate that the Yankees are simply ready to move on from the 25-year-old. Whether Hampton becomes a free agent after his DFA period or at season’s end, it seems likely that the right-hander will land with another team on another minors deal as he looks for a fresh start to his career.
