Aaron Judge activated from injured list: Biggest questions facing Yankees with three-time MVP back in lineup

The Yankees have struggled offensively without Judge, but still have a chance to win the AL East Sep 7, 2026 at 8:47 pm ET • 4 min read For the first time since May 31, two-time reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge will be in the lineup for the New York Yankees on Tuesday as they host the Colorado Rockies. The Yankees have activated Judge from the injured list on Monday night, and he will look to help them win the AL East and then go on a run in the postseason. New York has 19 games remaining in the regular season. "I wanted to be back June 1, but that didn't happen," Judge said this past weekend (via MLB.com). "... We'll be back out there and continue to play smart, especially in the rest of this year and then going into the postseason." Judge, 35, suffered the injury on a diving catch in late April, but played through it for more than a month. He played 59 games before going on the injured list and hit .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs, including .171/.271/.293 in his final 11 games on the active roster. Despite being out since May 31, Judge is still top-30 among all outfielders with 2.2 WAR. The Yankees have averaged only 4.06 runs per game since Judge last played, the fifth fewest in baseball. They've gone 45-39 during that time thanks to their pitching, which has been among the very best in baseball this year. The offense just hasn't been the same without Judge, understandably. The Yankees need his thunder and his presence. "We've had long stretches where the offense has struggled," manager Aaron Boone said over the weekend (via MLB.com). "I think a big part of that is not having your guy. I also feel like that's ticked up here in the last couple of weeks, where we've really started to play better offensively. We certainly look forward to getting our guy back." Here are three questions for the Yankees and Judge now that he'll rejoin the club on Tuesday. 1. What will the Yankees get from Judge? Judge successfully lobbied the Yankees to skip a minor-league rehab assignment. He has hit against the high-velocity machine in the batting cage the last week or so, took batting practice with the team this past weekend and faced live pitching Monday at Yankee Stadium. Useful tools, all of that, but Judge is jumping right back into MLB games without a minor league stint. "I don't see a point. Why waste at-bats?" Judge said about skipping a rehab assignment (via MLB.com). "... I'm not too worried about the power or bat speed. I feel like even if it's a tick off, I still think it's better than nothing." Boone alluded to treating the next few days as a rehab assignment, which could mean removing Judge from games in the later innings or playing one day and then sitting the next, etc. Given the three-month absence and lack of a rehab assignment, it's unlikely Judge will be a full player right away. It might be a week or so until he plays nine innings in back-to-back days. In 2023, Judge missed close to two months with a toe injury, skipped a rehab assignment, and went 5 for 27 (.185) with one home run and eight strikeouts in his first nine games. He was rusty, and chances are it will be the same around this time. The Yankees are focused on getting Judge ready for the postseason. They'll live with rust now to get Judge all the way back in October. 2. What happens for the Yankees in the outfield? This was a bigger question before incumbent center fielder Trent Grisham suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain this past weekend and was placed on the 15-day injured list. Rookie Spencer Jones has played right field the last few weeks and he was outplaying Grisham, which was setting up a Grisham or Jones question once Judge returned. That is no longer the case. Here is the Grisham vs. Jones comparison since the All-Star break: GrishamJonesPA 181 141 AVG .170 .254 OBP .261 .321 SLG .352 .492 HR 8 7 WAR -0.4 0.7 The Yankees would have had to open a roster spot for Judge, and the fact that Jones is one of the few players on their MLB roster who can be sent to the minors complicated things. It was either send Jones down or release someone like Amed Rosario, who hasn't hit lefties as well as in the past but is a useful bench piece. Grisham's injury took care of this. The roster spot is open. Jasson Domínguez was called up to replace Grisham and platooned in right field with Heliot Ramos for a few days. Domínguez was sent down to clear a roster spot for Judge. Moving forward, the outfield will be Judge in right, Jones in center, and Cody Bellinger in left. Ramos will start against lefties, likely in place of Jones, though he could spell Bellinger or even Judge at times, too. 3. Can the Yankees win the AL East? Mathematically, yes, the Yankees are still in the AL East race. They control their own destiny, in fact. Win every game the rest of the way and the Yankees will win the division. In reality, they're facing an uphill battle. Here are the AL East standings: Rays: 85-58Yankees: 81-62 (4 GB)Red Sox: 80-65 (6 GB)Blue Jays: 72-72 (13.5 GB)Orioles: 70-75 (16 GB)The Yankees and Rays will play four games in three days at Yankee Stadium from Sept. 22-24. As long as the Yankees are within four games going into that series, they have a chance. One win clinches the season series and thus the tiebreaker for the Rays, however. Realistically, the Yankees need to go into that series one or two games back to have a chance. Brass tacks: If Tampa goes 9-10 in its final 19 games, the Yankees must go 13-6 to win the AL East if they sweep those four games with the Rays, and 14-5 to win the AL East if they don't sweep. It's doable but unlikely. Judge returning boosts New York's division odds somewhat, and he'll boost them further if he returns to MVP form right away.