The New York Yankees have won eight of their last 10 games, they’re only three games back from the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East standings and their two-time league MVP is returning to the outfield just in time for a pivotal three-game series with those first-place Jays.
While Aaron Judge has been back in the Yankees’ lineup since he came off the injured list on Aug. 5, he hasn’t played in right field since July 25.
That’s where the 33-year-old seven-time All-Star will be during Friday night’s series opener against Toronto.
Judge, who missed 10 games due to a flexor strain in his right elbow, served as the Yankees’ designated hitter from Aug. 5 to Sept. 4. In that 27-game span, he hit well below his MLB-leading .322 batting average. In fact, he posted a .242 average and just a .474 slugging percentage, collecting six home runs and 12 RBI while Seattle Mariners power-charged catcher Cal Raleigh has made a convincing case to dethrone him as AL MVP.
That said, Judge’s on-base percentage (.415) remained high over that stretch, and New York bounced back from a 4-6 slump during his absence, which included a four-game skid, with an 18-9 record following his comeback.
When Judge was penciled in at DH the last month, Giancarlo Stanton took his place in right field.
Perhaps it’s fitting Judge is moving back to right against the Blue Jays, given that he sustained his injury on July 22 versus Toronto. Although Judge stayed in that game, and then played in the next two contests — one against the Blue Jays and one against the Philadelphia Phillies — he headed to the IL on July 27.
On Aug. 24, Judge threw to the bases at Yankee Stadium for the first time since his injury. He did so in pregame, leading up to a 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox, testing his strength on tosses that ranged about 150 feet.
At the time, though, he said he still wasn’t feeling 100% and still was receiving “quite a bit” of treatment.
Now he’s good to go, back in place at right field for the Yankees’ September push for the AL East crown.
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