Although Aaron Boone provided an ambiguous answer about Aaron Judge’s return to the New York Yankees‘ lineup, the right fielder is confident it won’t be long before he is back. However, he made one thing clear about his timeline: Until the Yankees meet his requirements, he won’t be back in action during the 2026 MLB season.
There aren’t many boxes left for Judge to check in his long recovery journey from a stress fracture in his first right rib. However, there is one item left on the list, and one that can only be addressed when the Yankees return home from their road trip to the West Coast.
“See a little live pitching, keep running the bases,” Judge stated, via YES Network, about what boxes he needs to check before returning to gameday action. “It’s kind of getting your feet underneath you so that when we go out here for nine innings we are ready to go and hit the ground running.”
NY Yankees planning Judge’s first live pitching session
“Judge said that he will need to face live pitching ‘a couple times at least before I get back in a game,’“ as stated on the NY Daily News. “He has already faced velocity off various pitching machines, including the Yankees’ Trajekt machine, and he took on-field batting practice for the first time since his injury on Friday at Petco Park.“
Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees looks on during a game.
The Yankees will be back in the Big Apple on Monday after closing out their road trip in San Diego on Sunday. With Judge targeting the series against the New York Mets for his return—his first MLB appearance since May 31—all signs point to the Bronx Bombers entering the final stretch of Judge’s rehab during the Colorado Rockies series at home. That’s when Judge could finally get a couple of live pitching sessions out of the way.
NY Yankees have yet to decide who will pitch to Judge
However, the Yankees have yet to determine who will be throwing at Judge. Ryan Weathers has only just begun his throwing program, and while Boone has provided clarity on Clarke Schmidt’s return to the Yankees, he remains on a rehab assignment with the Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
New York will do right by its star outfielder and find someone who can put him to the test with live pitches, but it has yet to figure out who. “Boone still isn’t sure who is going to throw to Judge [on Monday],” as reported by Gary Phillips of NY Daily News.
Considering how the 2026 MLB season has gone for the Yankees on the medical front, it should be the least of their concerns, but it appears to be an important decision regardless.
Judge will have to find his footing
All signs point to the Subway Series, which will start on Sept. 11, the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks across the United States, as the date for Judge’s return to MLB action. The fact that it’s Judge we’re talking about, who captained Team USA during the 2026 World Baseball Classic, only adds another element to what’s sure to be an emotional event, not only for MLB fans but from sea to shining sea.
Still, Judge can’t get lost in the spotlight. He won’t have much time to settle in before the postseason comes around, so every at-bat is crucial. Moreover, he needs to come out of the dugout red hot in order to improve his season stats.
As things stand, and although it’s been anything but a typical year for him, Judge is registering his worst season since 2020. Through 59 outings, Judge sits on a .248 batting average and a .907 OPS, along with a measly 1.9 WAR. Combining his last two seasons, Judge has set a standard with a .327 AVG, 1.152 OPS, and 10.3 WAR.
Not that his individual stats are what matter most to him, but Judge will surely want to finish the regular season with a better-looking stat line. When you look good, you play good, and that’s all New York cares about for its star outfielder come October.
