On Sept. 7, the New York Yankees activated Aaron Judge from the injured list ahead of their three-game series against the Colorado Rockies. Entering Sept. 8, the Yankees sit four games back of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
With a three-game series against the Rockies, New York should aim for a sweep of one of the worst teams in MLB this season. Moreover, the Yankees couldn’t have picked a better opponent for Judge to return against and try to find his swing after he was shut down on May 31.
So, what should the expectation be for Judge, who has been gone all summer? During a Sept. 8 appearance on SNY, John Jastremski shared what he’s expecting to see from the Yankee star.
“I’m banking on instant impact from the Yankee captain,” Jastremski said. “You want to tell me he’s not 100 percent healthy? You’re probably right. He’s not 100 percent healthy, but the presence of what he provides in this lineup is everything.”
Furthermore, Jastremski noted that the Yankees’ offense hasn’t looked the same without Judge, so it’s not like the slugger is walking into a situation in which the group has been firing on all cylinders without him.
“The Yankees’ offense has been dreadful without the big fella and what he provides as far as hitting the ball out of the ballpark,” Jastremski added. “Right-handed slug, right-handed power. There’s a reason why he’s won back-to-back MVPs.”
Yankees Hitters Will Benefit From Having Aaron Judge Back
Jastremski also said that even with Judge in the lineup, other hitters will benefit.
“Even if it takes him a couple of weeks to get going, he makes Ben Rice a better hitter,” Jastremski said. “He makes Cody Bellinger a better hitter and just makes the Yankees a better team, and he’s a guy with a flair for the dramatic. I know a thing or two about that.
“I think he’s going to have quite the flair for the dramatic, and I’m not going to be hitting home runs like Aaron Judge, but I’m going to be talking about it within the next few days.”
Aarong Judge Applauded for Not Heading Down to Minors
Meanwhile, in that same segment, SNY’s Anthony McCarron said he approves of how Judge and the team handled his return by not sending the veteran outfielder on a rehab assignment. As a result, Judge will find his rhythm at the major-league level.
“I tend to agree with Aaron Judge, who said, ‘Let’s not waste any at-bats in the minors,'” McCarron said. “‘Getting him up to the big leagues immediately is fine.’ They have all kinds of ways for these guys to get ready to play at the highest level immediately when they return from injury.
“The Trajekt machine is a complete revolution in terms of a batting machine that shows you spin, shows you high velocity, pitch shapes, all this kind of stuff.”
Moreover, McCarron echoes that whether Judge starts hitting the ball right away and racking up base hits, his presence in the lineup benefits everyone.
“I think he’s going to have an immediate impact and to your point, when he came back in ’23 after a long absence, he didn’t hit very well for the first nine games,” McCarron added. “I think it was five for 27, but he had a .389 on-base percentage.
“So even if the hits don’t come in bunches, he will walk because he can still work an at-bat. And that’s going to have a ripple effect on the rest of that Yankees lineup.”
Yankees Handed Candid Aaron Judge Expectations Amid Return