Judge’s Return to the Yankees Falls Flat

Fans of the New York Yankees spent the last few months hoping for a big turnaround with Aaron Judge’s return, almost like he was some kind of savior for the team’s struggles. But when he finally stepped back onto the field Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies, well, it didn’t quite go as anticipated.

No one was expecting him to hit three home runs after being out for 100 days. Still, going 0-for-3 with two disappointing strikeouts was not the comeback the fans had eagerly anticipated.

After missing games due to a rib injury since May 31, Judge returned to his usual position in right field and batted third. His first at-bat ended in a strikeout, then he popped out in his second attempt, and struck out again for his third. To add to the lackluster performance, Manager Aaron Boone decided to pull him after just six innings in the field.

Ironically, it wasn’t Judge who provided the much-needed excitement that night. Instead, Heliot Ramos, coming in to fill Judge’s slot in the order in the eighth inning, hit a massive three-run homer that turned the game around and led the Yankees to a 5-3 victory.

With the Yankees in a tight race for the AL East against the Tampa Bay Rays, Judge was insistent about jumping right back into MLB action. The decision was made to treat this series as a bit of a rehab stint, allowing him to ease back into the game.

This plan seemed reasonable in theory, but the reality of his first game back certainly wasn’t what anyone hoped for.

During the 84 games that Judge was sidelined, New York struggled with a poor .227 batting average. Naturally, fans treated his return like it was a monumental event. However, despite the hopes, it looked like he was still shaking off the rust, as his swinging was reminiscent of earlier in the year.