Aaron Judge returns to Yankees after 99-day absence caused by broken rib

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge returned to the New York Yankees after a 99-day absence caused by a broken rib, starting in right field and batting third Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies.

A three-time AL MVP, Judge had missed 84 games since his last appearance on May 31. The 34-year-old skipped a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment.

Judge entered hitting .248 with 17 homers, 38 RBIs and a .907 OPS. He was initially injured attempting to avoid second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. during an unsuccessful try for a diving catch at Houston on April 26 and batted .263 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in 31 games before going on the injured list. He had just one homer in 18 games before the IL stint.

New York was 36-23 after Judge last played on May 31 and went 45-39 in his absence. The Yankees hit .243 with 86 homers and a .770 OPS in 59 games through May 31 but .227 with 107 homers and a .681 OPS while Judge was sidelined. Their batting average during that stretch ranked 29th among the 30 major league teams, ahead of Seattle at .225.

New York entered 81-62, four games behind of AL East-leading Tampa Bay and two games in front of Boston (80-65) for the top AL wild card. The Yankees hold a potential tiebreaker over the Red Sox after winning the season series.

Judge hit a career-high .331 with 53 homers and 114 RBIs in 152 games last year, winning his third MVP and first batting title. He missed 10 games from July 26 to Aug. 4 with a flexor strain in his right elbow that he sustained on a throw to home plate July 22 in Toronto. He underwent a plasma-rich platelet injection and did not require offseason surgery.

Judge skipped a rehab assignment in 2023 when he missed 42 games with a fractured right big toe after crashing into the right-field fence at Dodger Stadium. He hit .245 with 18 homers, 35 RBIs and a .965 OPS over 57 games after his return.

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