The New York Yankees secured a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night in their series opener at Yankee Stadium.
It also marked the return of three-time MVP outfielder Aaron Judge, who had been out since late May with a stress fracture in his right rib.
Judge finished 0-for-3 with two strikeouts before manager Aaron Boone pulled him in the seventh inning for Heliot Ramos. Boone made it clear before the game that he planned to limit Judge’s playing time as he ramps back up.
However, the Yankees captain wasn’t happy about it one bit.
Judge Bluntly Criticizes Boone’s Decision
While speaking to the media, Judge dropped a blunt quote, saying he’ll do whatever his manager asks but admitting he wasn’t happy about leaving the game in the seventh.
“I feel great… played half a game so I don’t know what to say about that,” Judge said postgame. “I respect Booney. So whatever he says I’m gonna do, but not happy about it. But that’s where my guy Ramos picked me up and hit a nice little three-run homer there to kind of put the game out… but yeah not too happy about it.”
“I feel great, I played half a game”
Aaron Judge talked about being “not happy” about Aaron Boone taking him out after the 6th inning
“That’s where my guy [Heliot] Ramos came in and picked me up and hit a nice little three-run homer there to put the game out” pic.twitter.com/wP3Obcc2Ca
— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 9, 2026
Judge Speaks on Recovery Process
The 11-year veteran revealed that he actually wanted to come back months ago, but understood there was a process and certain boxes he had to check with the medical team first.
“I wanted to come back a couple months ago, but I’m not a trainer. So I gotta check whatever boxes they got,” Judge revealed. “A box they wanted me to check was live hitting, so I said, ‘Perfect, we’ll do that on the off day so I can play.'”
He added that the Yankees pay him to play baseball, so he owes it to the team and its fans to take the field.
“I get paid to do this, so I gotta go do it,” he added. “That’s the end of it. I get paid to go out there and give my best to the New York Yankees and these fans.”
Aaron Judge Drops Blunt Quote After First Game Back With Yankees