Yankees captain Judge returns to right field cautiously after injury

Aaron Judge finally received the “OK” signal from Yankees trainers today, marking his first time back in right field since his right hamstring strain. However, his throwing during his first game in months raised some concerns.

In today’s 7-1 loss to the Blue Jays, Judge avoided a potential home plate play on a two-run single in the first inning by throwing to second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., but appeared hesitant to throw with full strength, which sparked questions.

With this defeat, the New York Yankees (78-63) trail the Toronto Blue Jays (82-59) by four games in the AL East but still hold a solid position in an American League wild card spot.

When Daulton Varsho reached third base, Nathan Lukes’ hit landed just in front of Judge. Varsho scored easily, part of a three-run rally during which rookie Cam Schlittler allowed 24 foul balls over 1.2 innings and 66 pitches.

Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo home run off Kevin Gausman in the second inning, marking his 19th homer of the season and the 448th of his career, just one shy of tying Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and Jeff Bagwell for 41st place on the all-time list.

Judge’s appearance in right field today at Yankee Stadium against the Blue Jays marked his first defensive assignment since July 22 in Toronto, when replay showed him grimacing after a throw from right field.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the team would be cautious with Judge, noting they “didn’t plan to play him every day at first,” which keeps the door open for Giancarlo Stanton to continue starting multiple games per week in the outfield.

“It’s obviously a big deal to have G involved in the outfield, so this could be a shared role,” Boone said before the game. “We’ll see how Aaron handles it day to day and how he recovers from these games. Hopefully, it sparks something for us.”

Since returning from the injured list, the 33-year-old Judge has appeared only as a designated hitter, batting .242 with 6 home runs and 12 RBIs in 27 games. Judge recently said he expects not to throw at full strength initially, comparing himself to a runner recovering from a hamstring injury.

“I’m not stupid, so I’m going to be cautious and make sure we don’t make things worse,” Judge said on August 19. “We still have the rest of August, September, and October. I have to play all those games. I have to be smart about it. I’m not going to be reckless.”

Boone hinted in a radio interview that Judge’s arm might be compromised for the remainder of the season—comments Judge disputed, prompting Boone to somewhat backtrack, saying he may have overstated the situation.

Overall, as of today, Judge remains a strong contender for his third AL MVP award, boasting a slash line of .322/.442/.663 with 43 home runs and 97 RBIs this season.