Yankees officially reinstate Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge returned to the Yankees’ active roster on Monday night, with the club activating its captain from the 60-day injured list before Tuesday’s home game against the Colorado Rockies. MLB.com reported the move shortly before the series opener at Yankee Stadium, and the Yankees’ transactions log listed Judge as activated from the 60-day IL. The reinstatement ends a three-month absence for one of New York’s central lineup pieces as the club enters the final weeks of the regular season. The move came with the Yankees chasing Tampa Bay in the American League East and trying to improve their postseason position. MLB’s official standings showed the Rays leading the division by four games entering play Tuesday, while ESPN’s team page listed the Yankees at 81-62. (mlb.com) ### When did the Yankees make Judge active again? Monday night was the formal activation date. MLB.com said Judge was reinstated from the 60-day injured list before the Yankees’ Tuesday opener against Colorado, and the club’s official transactions page recorded the same move as of Sept. 7. Tuesday, Sept. 8, is the first game date attached to Judge’s return. MLB’s league schedule listed Yankees-Rockies at Yankee Stadium for that date, giving New York an immediate opening to put Judge back in the lineup. (mlb.com) ### How long had Judge been out? MLB.com described Judge’s activation as coming after about three months on the injured list. In a report published six days earlier, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Judge could potentially be activated during the club’s series with Colorado after traveling on a six-game West Coast trip and reaching a key stage in his recovery. (mlb.com) Monday’s workout at Yankee Stadium was another checkpoint. (mlb.com) MLB.com reported that Judge faced live pitching for the first time since the injury during that session before the Yankees finalized the roster move later that night. ### What does the roster move change for New York right now? Aaron Judge’s return gives the Yankees their regular right fielder and middle-of-the-order bat back for a stretch run that has fewer than three weeks left in the regular season. (mlb.com) MLB’s official standings page showed the AL playoff race tightening, and the Rays’ four-game division lead set the immediate context for New York’s decision to activate him as soon as he was cleared. The Yankees’ own roster and injury pages reflected the change. MLB.com’s Yankees transactions log listed Judge as active, and the club’s injuries-and-moves page said it tracks roster changes throughout the season. ### Why was this move expected this week? Aaron Boone had already pointed to the Colorado series as a possible return window. MLB.com reported last week that Boone said Judge could be activated during that homestand after accompanying the team on its road trip and progressing in baseball activity. (mlb.com) The Yankees then completed the final step on Monday night. (mlb.com) MLB.com’s report on the activation said the decision followed Judge’s workout at Yankee Stadium, where he tested himself against live pitching before the club made him available again. ### What comes next on the schedule? Tuesday’s game against Colorado is the first immediate test of Judge’s return. MLB’s official schedule listed the Rockies visiting the Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 8, and the Yankees’ September schedule shows the club continuing its push through the final month of the regular season. (mlb.com) The AL East race remains the backdrop. MLB standings entering Tuesday showed Tampa Bay ahead by four games, leaving New York to use the remaining schedule — beginning with the Rockies series in the Bronx — to try to make up ground. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2) (mlb.com 3)