The New York Yankees’ outstanding season in MLB is even more impressive considering the prolonged absence of one of their biggest stars. Pinstripes manager Aaron Boone spoke about Aaron Judge’s progress at this stage of his recovery and remains confident that he will see him back on the field soon.
“He is running and doing strength exercises, responding well,” Boone revealed during his press conference. “The biggest thing for him now is kind of build up the body, to get back and play in shape where he wasn’t allowed to do much for that first month, specially.”
The question from the media about Judge’s return was inevitable. Boone made his stance clear, expressing confidence that No. 99 will return before the end of the season: “Yeah.”
Judge’s return is eagerly anticipated by Jazz Chisholm Jr., among others, who said the Bronx Bombers will get a huge boost once their players on the IL are back and available. The Yankees are slowly turning their focus toward the postseason, dreaming of having a team capable of competing at the highest level.
When was Aaron Judge’s last game with the Yankees?
Aaron Judge’s last outing with the Bronx Bombers came on May 31, 2026, during a wild 13–8 road win against the Oakland Athletics. He had a solid afternoon, going 1-for-4 with an RBI single to help lock down the victory. That ended up being his 59th and final appearance of the 2026 season before landing on the IL for the remainder of the summer.
Judge’s return is a must for the Pinstripes
Before shutting it down, Judge was putting up solid numbers, batting .248 with 17 homers, 38 RBIs, and 43 runs scored. Replacing that kind of pop was never gonna be easy, and the Yankees definitely felt his absence—slumping to a 37–33 record without the Captain anchored in the middle of their lineup.
With just 34 games remaining, Aaron Boone could certainly use the return of his biggest star to the starting lineup. Fighting to take the AL East, currently led by the Tampa Bay Rays, the Yankees need all the firepower they can get to make it happen.
