The New York Yankees secured a 6-4 series-opening win on Friday night against the New York Mets in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium.
It marked superstar Aaron Judge’s third game back from injury, and he recorded one hit, one walk, and struck out twice across three at-bats.
He’s now 3-for-10 since returning, and ahead of Saturday afternoon’s game against the Mets, Yankees manager Aaron Boone made a sudden lineup change involving Judge.
Yankees Announce Judge Decision
Boone has batted Judge third and started him in right field since his return, but the Yankees manager made an interesting move before Game 2 of the series.
Judge will remain in the lineup, which is a good sign as he continues to ramp up after the rib injury that kept him on the IL since the end of May.
However, he will bat second in the order and will be slotted as the team’s designated hitter.
Cody Bellinger will instead bat third in the lineup, and Heliot Ramos will get the start in right field, while veteran Paul Goldschmidt will hit leadoff.
Here’s the full Yankees lineup:
Via Underdog MLB: “Yankees 9/12 P. Goldschmidt 1B A. Judge DH C. Bellinger LF H. Ramos RF A. Rosario 3B S. Jones CF G. Lombard Jr. SS A. Volpe 2B A. Wells C G. Cole SP.”
Yankees 9/12
P. Goldschmidt 1B
A. Judge DH
C. Bellinger LF
H. Ramos RF
A. Rosario 3B
S. Jones CF
G. Lombard Jr. SS
A. Volpe 2B
A. Wells CG. Cole SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 12, 2026
Looking at the Yankees
New York enters the weekend with an 85-62 overall record, and now with 15 regular-season games remaining, they’re on the cusp of clinching a postseason bid in the American League.
That said, they’re still chasing the Tampa Bay Rays, currently three games back of the AL East division lead and the No. 1 overall seed in the AL, which would carry home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and a first-round bye if secured.
New York Yankees Announce Sudden Aaron Judge Decision During Mets Series