Yankees' Announce Aaron Judge's Return to Spring Training Lineup

Coming off his time with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Aaron Judge has officially returned to camp with the New York Yankees.

Reporter Bryan Hoch revealed that Judge, who re-joined the team on March 19, will return to the lineup on March 20 as the designated hitter.

Even though the team had a pair of games on the 19th in split-squad action, they decided it was best to hold Judge out another day.

Now, he's set to play at George Steinbrenner Field for the first time since February 28.

Aaron Judge Returns to Yankees Lineup

Aaron Judge will return to the #Yankees lineup tomorrow as the DH.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 19, 2026

Judge has played in just five Spring Training games this season though he's certainly had no shortage of at-bats during Team USA's run in the WBC. Judge may not have lived up to the hype in the championship game, but no one on his team did anything offensively so he's far from the only player who deserves criticism.

With 11 Spring Training at-bats under his belt, Judge only has a few more chances to get in the lineup before Opening Day. All five games he's appeared in have been in Tampa as the Yankees usually only start their projected big leaguers at George Steinbrenner Field.

That certainly isn't the case for every big league name, but Judge proved he doesn't need a million at-bats to get hot. When he first joined the lineup on February 21 he immediately hit a pair of home runs that proved he was able to pick up right where he left off.

Opening Day is Right Around the Corner

Carlos Lagrange caught @BryanHoch's eye early this Spring!

BK and Bryan discuss the Yankees' rotation as we approach Opening Day, following the news that Lagrange has been reassigned to minor league camp. pic.twitter.com/XlNqrf6pmn
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 20, 2026

The Yankees are in a unique situation this season as their Opening Day is on March 25. They're part of the only game played that day, one that will be streamed around the globe on Netflix.

The team has plenty of off-days in the first few weeks, but it's important to note Judge has been going non-stop even though he hasn't been at camp with the Yankees for a few weeks.

This appearance could very well be his last, but the Yankees do have one final game in Tampa on March 22. The Philadelphia Phillies come to town for that one, a game that is just one day after their Spring Breakout.

Judge could certainly be in that lineup on March 22, but the team is starting to focus more on Opening Day than worrying about what their Spring Training lineup will look like for the final few games.

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