Yankees' Aaron Judge, Expected to Return From Injured List on Tuesday, is 'Ready to Go'

NEW YORK — When the Yankees take the field in Atlanta on Tuesday, they'll do so with Aaron Judge.

The slugger is expected to make his return to New York's starting lineup for the first time in two weeks after being placed on the 10-day injured list with a strain in his right calf.

Courtesy of a four-day respite, as COVID-19 tests within the Mets' organization resulted in the postponements of this weekend's installment of the Subway Series, Judge had extra time to recuperate ahead of his return. Ask the slugger, however, and he feels he could've been back in the lineup a matter of days after he was initially placed on the IL.

"I felt like I could have been back out there after a couple days. That's why I was so adamant about not going on the IL to begin with," Judge said on Sunday. "I could run around, I could jump, I could swing a bat, I could throw, everything that you need to do for a baseball game, I could do."

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After appearing in all of the Bombers' first 17 games to start the season, swinging a scorching hot bat, Judge first sat out on August 12 against the Braves at Yankee Stadium. The night before, No. 99 was taken out midway through the game when Yankees' manager Aaron Boone noticed the superstar didn't seem right as he moved around in the outfield. 

Initially tagged as lower body tightness, Boone eventually elected to shut the slugger down as a precautionary measure. That was, of course, much to the chagrin of Judge who had begged to remain on the active roster. 

Nonetheless, a stint on the 10-day injured list gave Judge a lengthy stretch to rest his legs before slowly building back up with baseball activity within the last week. Over the weekend, Judge took live at-bats against his teammates in simulated games, getting reps in the box off the high-velocity pitching machine as well.

Factor in days of treatment, running on the base paths, drills in the outfield and Judge believes he's more than ready to return. 

Adding Judge's bat to any lineup would be an improvement, but considering how many injuries the Yankees have experienced over the last few weeks, the slugger's return comes at an opportune time. 

New York is still without designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring), shortstop Gleyber Torres (hamstring and quad) and second baseman DJ LeMahieu (thumb) due to an assortment of injuries, just to name a few.

The Bombers are also coming off a three-game sweep at home at the hands of the dangerous Rays, a feat Tampa Bay hadn't accomplished since 2014. Another reason Judge wanted to get off the IL earlier, he said, was to get a chance to face the Rays three more times as the two clubs are on a crash course to clash in October.

"Especially getting a chance to see the Rays again, our big opponent in the East," Judge explained. "My biggest concern was trying to get a couple more at-bats against their arms and they've got a lot of good arms out there in the bullpen that they keep bringing up, so I really wanted to get a lot of good at-bats against those guys knowing we have to play them down the road."

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Even from the sidelines, however, Judge was getting his work in. The slugger walked through how he puts himself in the game mentally as he watches from the dugout, taking the same reps he would get between the lines, but in his mind. 

"I'm putting myself in game situations, I'm watching all the games, I'm staying locked in," he explained. "So even though I'm not there physically, mentally I'm taking the same reps ... that's what kind of keeps me fresh usually on IL."

Up until the slugger was placed on the injured list, the right fielder had been one of the best position players in all of baseball. Through 17 games, Judge is hitting .290 (18-for-62) with nine home runs, 20 RBI and an OPS of 1.101. 

As he's reinstated onto the active roster, Judge is confident he doesn't need to be eased back into a starting role. He wants to be out there everyday, contributing for a team that needs a boost approaching the halfway point of this season.

"Anytime you're coming off an injury, I know they're gonna want to slow play a little bit, maybe mixing a DH day one of those days or maybe off one of the doubleheader days, but I already talked to Boone and said I'm ready to go," Judge said. "Whenever you need me, I'm hoping to be in right field every single game."

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