84 games without the captain
The Yankees activated Aaron Judge from the 60-day injured list Monday night. The three-time MVP is available for the home series that starts Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies.
He had not played since May 31. A stress fracture in a right rib, initially read as a bone bruise until further imaging showed what it really was. In June he traced it back to a dive in Houston in late April, and said the pain had worked its way up into his throwing shoulder.
The whole summer went by. Judge did not take full swings again until mid-August, after weeks of running and light on-field work. Eighty-four games gone.
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Back into the tightest race in baseball
New York could not have asked for better timing. At 81-62, the Yankees are four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East and two clear of the Boston Red Sox. Nineteen left to play.
Judge hit .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs across his 59 games before the injury. Respectable, well short of what he usually does. He owns three American League MVP awards and the league’s single-season home run record, 62 in 2022.
Chase Hampton is the cost
Clearing a 40-man spot meant somebody had to go. New York designated right-hander Chase Hampton for assignment. The prospect worked at three minor league levels this year and got as far as Double-A Somerset, where it went badly: 0-6 with an 8.18 ERA over 17 starts.
There is not much margin left in the chase with Tampa Bay. Judge will be in the middle of whatever these nineteen games turn into.
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