Aaron Judge Returns to Action with the Yankees
The New York Yankees captain, Aaron Judge, has been activated from the 10-day injured list this Tuesday. Judge was out of action since July 25 due to a strain in his right elbow flexor.
Manager Aaron Boone had announced on Monday that Judge would act as designated hitter in his return to the team, specifically against the Texas Rangers. The Yankees arrive at this moment after suffering four consecutive losses.
Giancarlo Stanton has been the Yankees’ starting designated hitter in the 32 games he has played this season. Stanton missed the first 70 games due to inflammation in the tendons of both elbows. Boone confirmed that Stanton would not play in the outfield in Texas if Judge acted as designated hitter during the series.
Judge has had an outstanding season, leading MLB with a batting average of .342. In addition, he is in fourth place with 37 home runs and fifth with 85 RBIs.
The two-time American League Most Valuable Player hit against Yankees minor league pitchers at the team’s facility in Tampa, Florida, for the second straight day on Monday. An MRI revealed no significant damage to his ulnar collateral ligament and he received a platelet-rich injection on July 27.
Boone also mentioned that the outfielder could throw in Texas, which would help determine when he could return to play in the field.
In other roster moves, the Yankees placed newly acquired outfielder Austin Slater on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain. In addition, they activated right-handed pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. from the injured list, recalled right-handed pitcher Yerry de los Santos from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, optioned right-handed pitcher Jake Bird to Triple-A, and designated right-handed pitcher JT Brubaker for assignment.
The Yankees are 5.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays, division leaders, and currently hold a wild card spot, 2.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox, with 49 games remaining in the regular season.
