The New York Yankees have been battling health issues throughout the 2026 season, and the biggest piece that they’ve been missing is MVP, superstar outfielder and their captain, Aaron Judge.
Shockingly, on Monday it was announced that he was officially reinstated after missing months of action, but Yankees fans were cautioned to not get too excited, as he was expected to be eased back in after missing so much time. However, New York have wasted no time getting him back in the lineup, as his place in the team has been officially announced ahead of their series opener against the Colorado Rockies.
Aaron Judge Returns to the Yankees Lineup
After months of action, the belief among many was that Judge would be eased back in, and while starting doesn’t mean that he won’t be taken out of the game for caution purposes, the team were happy to slot him right back in.
Ahead of their matchup with the Colorado Rockies, the Yankees announced that Judge will be hitting third and playing right field, and given how much this lineup has needed a boost in recent weeks, this comes at just the right time.
Before being injured, Judge was hitting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI through his first 59 games played, and while he’s returning without a rehab start, given all of the experience that he’s got at the Major League level, there’s optimism that he’ll adapt perfectly and become a key piece of the lineup in New York once more.
Can the Yankees Win the World Series With a Healthy Judge?
Thankfully for New York, there’s several weeks left in the season for Judge to get acclimated once more, and given the way that they’ve played as of late, there’s no doubting that this is a team once again heading into October that see themselves as a genuine World Series threat in the wide open American League.
While Judge may not be healthy right away, he showed early in the year that he’s still the same multi-time MVP we’ve been watching in New York for years, and with the emergence of Ben Rice to go along with Judge and Cody Bellinger, it makes this Yankees team incredibly formidable.
On top of that, this is one of the deepest starting rotations in all of baseball, and with an improved bullpen and solid depth, this team is solid all over the diamond, so if Judge is anywhere near what we’ve seen in recent years once he gets back up to speed in the coming weeks, don’t be shocked to see this team contending for a World Series title once again.
Yankees Officially Announce Aaron Judge’s Return to the Lineup