Two Takeaways From Aaron Judge's Return in Yankees' 5-3 Win Over Rockies

In Aaron Judge's highly anticipated return to the field, the New York Yankees captured a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Despite the final score, the Bronx Bombers generated most of their offense late in the game and after Judge was taken out. The Yankee captain is going to be eased back into action, so fans may need to wait a couple of games before he plays all nine innings.

Yankee Stadium welcomes Aaron Judge back 👏 pic.twitter.com/wew6RCl5lX
— MLB (@MLB) September 8, 2026

Ultimately, New York won Tuesday's game on the strength of its pitching rather than the offense, which has been their strategy since Judge initially landed on the IL.

Here are two takeaways from their win over the Rockies.

Aaron Judge had a quiet night, but that's okay

Given Judge's previous production and how much he means to the Yankees' offense, expectations were high for both him and the lineup. Playing a team like the Rockies—who have arguably the worst pitching staff in MLB—further boosted those expectations.

Yet it ended up being a largely quiet night for Judge. The 34-year-old went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts, one swinging and one looking. His first at-bat saw him swing through a 93 mph fastball from Rockies starter Gabriel Hughes. Judge was replaced by Heliot Ramos in right field for the seventh inning, officially ending his game.

Judge goes down swinging on his first at-bat https://t.co/MEbl6XFg0f pic.twitter.com/7Psgb7UAjP
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 8, 2026

Based on his plate appearances, it's clear that Judge isn't his all-world self yet. The bat speed is there (reaching as high as 79.6 mph), but the timing is still a work in progress. But considering Judge only got as far as live BP before returning to the lineup and didn't play in any rehab games, this was a far more realistic outcome than expecting him to instantly hit home runs after missing over 80 games.

Should this concern fans? Of course not. If there's any player who deserves patience from the fanbase, it's Aaron Judge.

The Yankees' lineup isn't boosted by Judge right away

Another expectation (even from myself) was that Judge's presence alone would improve the lineup as a whole. Batters like Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger have immensely benefitted from Judge's protection in the order, even if Judge himself was in a slump.

That didn't materialize on Tuesday, as the Yankees were only able to score a pair of runs while Judge was in the game. Ironically, it was Ramos (who replaced Judge in the seventh) who broke the game open with a three-run home run in the eighth. Regardless of the late rally, the Bronx Bombers had to rely on another great outing from Cam Schlittler to maintain control over the Rockies.

Heliot Ramos delivers 3 insurance runs with one swing 💥 pic.twitter.com/hm4nTTJ8CO
— MLB (@MLB) September 9, 2026

Going hand-in-hand with the previous takeaway, the Yankees' lineup won't start soaring until Judge fully gets his timing down and pitchers face the threat of having their mistakes go over the fence. So they still need players like Rice, Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Luis Garcia Jr. and Ramos to elevate their play in the meantime.

The good news is that the Yankees are playing the Rockies, a team largely devoid of quality pitching, so it may only be a matter of time before the offense breaks through, much like how the series opener played out. That will change when the Yankees face teams with better pitching later this month, but the hope is that Judge will be locked in by then.

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