ANAHEIM, Calif. — For the Yankees, Aaron Judge‘s presence on the West Coast trip matters beyond morale. Just before the game against the Angles, manager Aaron Boone gave an update that baseball fans across all levels were eager to listen.
The captain has not appeared in a major league game since May 31, when New York beat the Athletics 13-8. Judge was later diagnosed with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side, placed on the injured list retroactive to June 2 and transferred to the 60-day IL in July. His absence has forced the Yankees to spend three months reshaping the lineup while trying to protect their place in the postseason race. The question of when their biggest bat can return has followed the club through every stage of his rehab.
Aaron Judge traveled with the club for its series against the Angels and Padres, turning a late-season road swing into the latest checkpoint in a comeback that has stretched across the summer. Judge took part in defensive work in right field during batting practice while continuing to build his hitting program after weeks of restricted activity.
Boone finally puts the next homestand in play
Manager Boone said a Judge return during the Yankees’ next homestand is now possible. The six-game stretch begins Sept. 8 against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium and continues with three games against the New York Mets.
Boone stopped short of setting Sept. 8 as a target. Still, it was the clearest indication yet that the Yankees believe their three-time AL MVP can return during the first half of September.
“I’m not going to put a date on it, but I think those things are in play now,” Boone said before Monday’s game. “It’s about getting the durability and the workload built up on him, which is the biggest thing now.”
That is the catch. The Yankees are testing whether Judge can handle enough swings, defensive repetitions and higher-intensity work to return without immediately overloading his body.
Without his lineup presence, the Yankees’ first night on the West Coast offered almost nothing to soften a 10-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Walbert Urena held the Yankees to one run across seven innings and struck out eight to earn the win.
The Yankees lineup managed five hits, their pitching staff lost control of the game in the middle innings, and a club that had just taken three of four from Boston left Angel Stadium with its lead for the American League’s top wild-card spot trimmed to three games.
Sept. 8 would end a 100-day gap
A Sept. 8 activation would be exactly 100 days after Judge’s last major league appearance.
The Yankees were 36-23 after his May 31 game. Following Monday’s loss in Anaheim, they are 78-60. New York has therefore gone 42-37 since Judge last played, a .532 winning percentage after opening at a .610 clip through his final appearance.
The split helps explain the stakes. Judge was batting .248 with a .375 on-base percentage, a .533 slugging percentage and a .908 OPS in 59 games. He had 17 home runs, 10 doubles and 38 RBIs before the injury.
The Yankees still own the top AL wild-card position but trail Tampa Bay by 4 1/2 games in the AL East. They have 24 regular-season games remaining after Monday. A return during the next homestand would give Judge roughly three weeks to regain major league timing before the postseason.
Judge wants to skip the minors
Judge has said he would prefer to avoid a minor league rehab assignment, just as he returned directly to the Yankees after missing 42 games with a toe injury in 2023. He did play rehab games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre while returning from an oblique strain in 2019.
He has discussed using the Trajekt pitching machine, which can replicate major league pitch shapes and velocity, to approximate live at-bats without leaving the Yankees.
That choice will depend on how Judge responds as the intensity increases. The Yankees have two more games against the Angels and three in San Diego before an off day Sept. 7.
But there is a catch, not one workout
Judge has progressed from pool work and light hitting to tee work, toss and indoor overhand batting practice. The Yankees want him prepared for the daily volume of a postseason race after three months away.
Boone said Judge is on the West Coast specifically to increase those baseball activities. The Yankees expect him to face more velocity as the trip moves through Anaheim and San Diego. His defensive drills also matter because the club is preparing him to contribute in right field.
“He’s doing well,” Boone said. “He’s here, to continue to ramp up baseball activities. We’re getting closer, but feel good about where he’s at.”
The Yankees have yet to settle on how Aaron Judge should proceed in his recovery, and Boone made clear the medical staff still isn’t aligned on the path forward. He said the team is holding off until a second opinion comes in before mapping out the next step.
Asked whether Dr. Christopher S. Ahmad, the Yankees‘ head team physician, had landed on a decision, Boone signaled that the process is still open. Alos, the Yankees awaited additional input from orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister.
“I don’t think so,” Boone replied on Dr. Ahmad’s final clearance, “Just waiting for [Dr. Keith Meister], the other doctor weighing in, hearing what he has to say, and talking through it.”
The latest update shifts the emphasis toward workload, but Boone’s refusal to set a date keeps each checkpoint conditional.
For the first time since the rib fracture changed the Yankees’ summer, the next homestand is more than a vague marker. Boone has put it in play. He has also made the condition clear: Judge has to prove he can absorb the workload that comes with returning, not simply show that he can take another round of batting practice.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
