{"id":341365,"date":"2026-09-09T02:48:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T02:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/341365\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T02:48:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T02:48:18","slug":"aaron-judge-held-hitless-in-long-awaited-return-to-new-york-yankees-lineup-from-rib-fracture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/341365\/","title":{"rendered":"Aaron Judge held hitless in long-awaited return to New York Yankees lineup from rib fracture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

New York Yankees<\/a> fans spent the last three months convincing themselves that Aaron Judge riding in like the White Knight was going to fix every single problem in the Bronx.<\/p>\n

Well, the Captain finally returned Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies<\/a> and dropped a total egg.<\/p>\n

Nobody expected a three-homer spectacle after 100 days on the shelf. But going 0-for-3 with two ugly, clueless strikeouts wasn’t the heroic homecoming Bronx fans paid to see.<\/p>\n

AARON JUDGE RETURNS TO YANKEES AFTER 83 GAMES MISSED WITH RIB INJURY AHEAD OF POSTSEASON PUSH<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Aaron <\/p>\n

Aaron Judge No. 99 of the New York Yankees heads out to the field to start the game against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City on Sept. 8, 2026. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Judge, who had been sidelined since May 31 with a right rib stress fracture<\/a>, took his familiar spot in right field and batted third. He struck out swinging in his first turn, flied out in his second and then fanned looking in his third. To cap off the wildly underwhelming reboot, manager Aaron Boone pulled him after just six defensive innings.<\/p>\n

Ironically, the game-changing power surge didn’t come from Number 99 at all.<\/p>\n

THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW\u2013UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!<\/a><\/p>\n

In the bottom of the eighth, Heliot Ramos stepped into Judge\u2019s vacated spot in the order with two runners on base.<\/p>\n

Ramos delivered the spark fans came to see, launching a towering three-run moonshot that broke open a tight ballgame and secured a 5-3 victory for the Bombers.<\/p>\n

Judge’s replacement provided the actual juice.<\/p>\n

With the Yankees trailing the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a> in a tight AL East race, Judge insisted on jumping straight back into big-league action. The team agreed to treat this series as a quasi-rehab stint to keep his workload under control.<\/p>\n

CAPTAIN AARON JUDGE CALLS OUT YANKEES’ ‘LACK OF FOCUS’ BEFORE TEAM DROPS 7TH STRAIGHT GAME<\/a><\/p>\n

That strategy makes sense on paper, but it certainly did not make for an inspiring return on night one.<\/p>\n

\"Aaron <\/p>\n

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees looks on before a game against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium in New York on Sept. 8, 2026. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

During the 84 games Judge missed, New York suffered through a miserable .227 team batting average.<\/p>\n

Naturally, the fanbase treated his activation like the second coming of Babe Ruth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The captain is officially back in pinstripes, but his swing is clearly still stuck in June.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Aaron <\/p>\n

Aaron Judge No. 99 of the New York Yankees smiles before a game against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 8, 2026, in New York, N.Y. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com<\/a> \/ Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela<\/a><\/p>\n

Alejandro Avila is a longtime writer at OutKick, living in Southern California.\u00a0<\/p>\n