The New York Yankees were dealt a tough hand upon learning Giancarlo Stanton is trending to miss the rest of the 2026 MLB season. However, Aaron Judge could bring good news to the Bronx soon. Judge won’t return overnight, but he is on the right path. According to a report, his first full game back in action could be against none other than the New York Mets.
“[The Yankees] play the Mets on Sept. 11-13, it’s not an unimportant weekend for a variety of reasons, including the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the Yankees and Mets are playing that Friday. If I had to set an over under, I would set it the day before against Colorado on September 10th,” Joel Sherman stated on the New York Post’s Pinstripe Post podcast.
Most reports surrounding Judge point to September as the month when the star outfielder is finally activated from the 60-day injured list (IL). Thus, the Subway Series against the Mets at home from Sept. 11-13 could make a lot of sense for Judge’s first game back in MLB action. The three-time MVP hasn’t played since May 31.
Circling the series opener against the Mets on Sept. 11 for Judge’s long-awaited return might be a deliberate decision by the Yankees, adding yet another layer to an already emotionally charged fixture for both teams and the league as a whole. Judge could be back at the plate a day earlier, however.
Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees sits in the dugout.
NY Yankees could use Judge as DH
As suggested by Sherman, Judge could be activated from the IL and serve as the designated hitter for the series finale against the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 10. That way, the Yankees could get Judge back in action while avoiding a setback by keeping him out of the garden.
It would be fitting. In fact, it’s almost expected at this point. Not that Judge will return as a DH on Sept. 10, but that he will be exclusively a batter in his first game back from a stress fracture in his first right rib. Just like Aaron Boone disclosed Ryan Weathers’ potential new role, Judge could have a temporary new job, too.
That was the case when Judge was activated from a 10-day IL stint last season. When Judge returned from a flexor tendon strain in his right elbow in August 2025, his first lineup appearance was as a DH, and that followed only a 10-day absence. Judge has been sidelined for 85 days—and counting—since being placed on the IL this time around, so it’s safe to assume the Yankees will be even more cautious in his first game back.
Judge expected back soon
Whether it will be against the Mets, Rockies, or a different team entirely, on Sept. 10, 11, or another date with little to no special meaning remains to be seen. One thing is clear, though: barring a disaster, Judge will be back this season.
Given how this year has gone for the Pinstripers on the medical front, that’s all the fans in the Bronx want to hear. They will wait for Judge to return as long as it takes. As long as he’s back and has some games under his belt by October, the Bronx Bombers can afford to stay patient.
