Aaron Judge Is About to be a Serious Problem for American League

Aaron Judge is the catalyst who could transform the American League playoff race.

Aug 26, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There are just a few weeks left to go in the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season and then the real action is going to begin.

The regular season is going to wrap up on Sep. 27, barring some sort of tiebreaker for a playoff spot, or inclement weather pushing things back. Then, the playoffs will be here.

If the season were to end today, the clubs that would make the playoffs in the American League are the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Guardians. In the National League, the clubs that would make the playoffs are the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres.

It's going to be a fun few weeks as teams duke it out for better positioning and clubs on the outside looking in try to snag a playoff spot. There is one significant variable that could shake things up between now and the regular season in the American League: Aaron Judge.

Aaron Judge Is Coming

Aug 30, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) looks on from the dugout during the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Yankees superstar hasn't played in a game since May 31, and yet New York is still 79-60 on the season, which is the second-best record in the American League. When Judge is on the field and playing up to his standards, he takes New York to another level, to say the least. And what should scare rivals around the American League is the fact that he's coming.

In fact, Yankees manager Aaron Boone shared that there's at least a chance that Judge returns as soon as this upcoming weekend, as transcribed by MLB.com's Courtney Hollmon.

"I think it's possible," Boone said. "I'm not going to put a date on it, but I think those things are in play now. It's again about getting the durability and the workload built up on him, which is the biggest thing now."

Before Judge went down, he had 17 homers in 59 games. Him, Kyle Schwarber and Munetaka Murakami were fighting for the top mark in baseball at the time in homers. Right now, Schwarber has the most in the league with 40 long balls.

Last year, Judge crushed 53 long balls and he hit 58 homers the year before. If the Yankees get him back to full strength down the stretch, New York all of a sudden becomes the favorite in the American Leauge. The Yankees have plenty of pitching and just need some more pop. Judge is the guy. When he returns, he's going to transform the race.