If you want to know what’s happening in the sports world in New York City, you often need only to flip to the back cover of the New York Post and see the headline.
They usually nail it with the puns and the energy of the moment, and that was certainly true in Tuesday’s paper with the news of Aaron Judge’s return having arrived.
The New York Post needed just a two word headline, and it was perfect:
“ALL RISE!”
Have a look for yourself:
The back page: ALL RISE!
After 3-plus months, Judge finally back in lineup tonight
Read more: https://t.co/vaCKX5zFMP pic.twitter.com/o1IDIAOdc5
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) September 8, 2026
It definitely worked out nicely for the publication timeline that the news came out on Monday early enough for it to be on the back page like this.
Judge will likely feature again if he does anything of note on Tuesday. His first game back is at home in Yankee Stadium against the Colorado Rockies.
There wouldn’t generally be a reason for Yankees fans to be all that excited about playing the lowly Rockies, but now that Judge is back, there’s plenty of reason to smile.
Challenge for Aaron Judge
It isn’t all guaranteed to be easy for Judge upon his return, though.
He’s been out since the start of June with his rib injury, and the rehab process was evidently slow and tedious.
Now returning to an MLB batter’s box, Judge is going to face a challenge that most injured players don’t: He didn’t go on a rehab assignment.
In part because the minor league season is essentially over, but in part because Judge simply wanted to be back in a Yankees uniform as soon as he was healthy, he isn’t getting those general ramp-up at bats that players get when they’re hurt.
Judge did face live pitching on Monday, but that can only go so far toward simulating the reality of an MLB at bat.
This isn’t to say Judge won’t deliver. He’s one of the greatest right-handed hitters in the history of the sport. If anyone could skip a rehab assignment and be just fine, it might be him.
Besides, he could simply feel the adrenaline of the moment and rise to the occasion, no tune-up at bats needed.
But it’s worth noting that these next three weeks are crucial. Since Judge didn’t go on a rehab assignment, this is now his chance to get fully up to speed. As long as he does it by the playoffs, that’s probably just fine for the Yankees.
Roster Questions Delayed
It’s also worth noting that Judge’s return from the injured list would’ve created quite the roster crunch, but another injury over the weekend changed that.
Trent Grisham had to go on the IL, so any big questions will be delayed until he is healthy.
Once Grisham is back, then the Yanks will have a roster crunch in the outfield. Until then, though, they’ll be glad to have Judge back in the fold — and that won’t change even if they have to eventually make tough decisions elsewhere on the roster.
New York Post Back Page Is Perfect For Aaron Judge’s Return