Aaron Judge Returns After 100 Days to Roaring Yankee Crowd

When Aaron Judge walked to the plate Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, 46,211 fans jumped to their feet and then fell silent, holding their collective breath for his first at-bat in over three months.

The Yankees captain returned to action after 100 days on the injured list recovering from a rib stress fracture. Manager Aaron Boone had never doubted this moment would come, though it required patience from everyone involved.

Judge went hitless in three at-bats, striking out twice and flying out once. But the box score doesn't capture what his return meant to a team chasing a playoff spot, sitting four games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East race.

"I felt great. I just haven't been in a live game or seen live pitching in three months, so it's kind of like the start of the year," Judge said after the Yankees' 5-3 win over Colorado. "But I got work to do."

The quiet that descended over the stadium during Judge's first plate appearance reminded him of his historic 62-home-run chase in 2022. He fouled off two sliders before swinging through a fastball for strike three, but nobody seemed disappointed.

Boone saw plenty of encouraging signs despite the empty stat line. "I thought he looked very, like, 'Judge-y,'" the manager said. "Obviously there will be some time getting the timing and rhythm and everything, but I thought he was on pitches tonight for the most part."

Judge played six innings in right field before Boone pulled him as part of a careful reentry plan. The captain wasn't thrilled about the early exit, admitting he wanted to stay in the game, but he respected his manager's decision.

The compromise came after Judge had pushed to skip a minor league rehab assignment entirely. With September already here and playoff races heating up, he wanted to help his team immediately, so the coaching staff agreed to treat these first games against Colorado like a gradual buildup.

Why This Inspires

Judge's return represents more than just getting a star player back on the field. His teammates fed off his energy during batting practice, and Boone described his presence as "very real" throughout the clubhouse.

The three-time AL MVP didn't need to get a hit to make an impact. When he was lifted in the seventh inning, replacement Heliot Ramos hit a three-run homer that put the game away. Judge celebrated like he'd hit it himself.

After 100 days of strengthening exercises and patient rehabilitation, Judge proved that sometimes the best wins come from simply showing up ready to work.