Aaron Judge isn’t in the New York Yankees‘ lineup on Thursday night for their series finale against the Colorado Rockies.
It’s a fact that has fans up in arms about the decision by Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
The thing is, Boone already said earlier in the week that he was going to do this:
Aaron Judge is out of tonight’s lineup. Aaron Boone had previously said he expected Judge to sit one of the Rockies games after returning pic.twitter.com/M0MC7KGSvU
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 10, 2026
And while it may be frustrating for the Yankees’ faithful, it also makes perfect sense.
Why Isn’t Aaron Judge Playing Tonight?
Judge isn’t playing because he’s still ramping up after his return from his rib injury.
He was out for more than three months and only came back into the Yankees’ lineup on Tuesday night, when he was pulled early, before playing again on Wednesday.
That would always be a bit of a reason for caution, even in regular injury-return circumstances, but these are not that.
Judge also didn’t do a rehab assignment. He’s essentially rehabbing in the major leagues.
That’s why he was pulled early on Tuesday, and that’s why he’s not playing on Thursday.
Thursday Night Series Finale. #RepBX pic.twitter.com/dhyKIM0wlw
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 10, 2026
In regular circumstances, an injured MLB player will first rehab in the minor leagues before returning to the majors. While down there, they will often play non-full games as well as getting a day off here and there.
It’s a bit like a mini-Spring Training. The idea is to get them ready to play in the major leagues again without risking re-injury.
Judge didn’t want to go on a rehab assignment, which is a fair thing for a superstar veteran to think, but it means the caution the Yankees are showing with his return to play is now happening in MLB action rather than somewhere like Somerset or Scranton.
There’s certainly a world where Judge could’ve played Thursday and been just fine. But it would’ve looked terrible if the Yankees pushed the envelope with Judge for a game against the lowly Rockies and then got him hurt.
Aaron Judge Since Returning
The 34-year old Judge has played in two games since returning from injury.
On Tuesday night, he struggled, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts before being removed early (which was the plan all along).
On Wednesday, Judge found his groove again. He was 2-for-4, both singles, and struck out once. He also scored a run and made his first putout in right field since coming back.
The Yankees don’t get a day off after this series. They’ll remain at Yankee Stadium for a three-game set with the New York Mets. That starts Friday as the New York ballclubs will remember the 9/11 tragedy 25 years later. The Yanks were always going to have Judge in the lineup for that game, and so he rests up on Thursday night while avoiding re-injury.
Why Aaron Judge Isn’t Playing Tonight for Yankees