Yankees activate Aaron Judge after three-month IL stint due to broken rib

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News on Sep 7, 2026

Published in Baseball

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NEW YORK — Here comes the Judge.

The Yankees activated Aaron Judge from the 60-day injured list on Monday night ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Colorado Rockies in the Bronx, marking the slugger’s return from a fractured rib that sidelined him for more than three months.

Judge comes off of the IL with 19 games remaining as the Yankees try to catch the Tampa Bay Rays and stave off the Boston Red Sox in the American League East and wild-card races.

As he had hoped, Judge is forgoing a minor-league rehab assignment after ramping up his workouts during the Yankees’ West Coast road trip last week.

Judge, 34, took live batting practice for the first time since his injury on Monday at Yankee Stadium, where he faced pitching from both sides.

The three-time AL MVP last played in a game on May 31, but he traced the stress fracture in his right first rib back to a dive on defense in Houston more than a month before then.

Judge is batting .248 with 17 home runs, 38 RBI and a .907 OPS in 59 games. His production dipped in May as he played through the injury.

The Yankees went 45-39 without Judge, largely on the strength of their stellar starting pitching, though their offense struggled for prolonged stretches without their All-Star anchor in the lineup.

Without Judge, the Yankees averaged 4.1 runs per game with a .681 OPS — down from 5.2 runs per game with a .770 OPS with him.

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