The New York Yankees are getting Aaron Judge back on Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies, but he may not be a full-go just yet.
Judge traveled with the Yankees on the last road trip and ramped up some of his baseball activities. He took batting practice at Yankee Stadium on Monday, and apparently the results were good enough for the Yankees to activate him. However, Aaron Boone revealed on Tuesday that Judge will be eased back into things.
Boone said on "Talkin' Yanks" that fans should expect Judge to be subbed out early in some games before playing a full nine innings. Judge is skipping a rehab assignment, so it's not a huge surprise that the Yankees want to build him up.
He has not played since May 31, but the Yankees need his bat for the postseason. Not to mention, they can still pass the Tampa Bay Rays in the standings to win the American League East. Having Judge in any capacity is great for the Yankees.
How the lineup looks on Tuesday will be interesting. The Yankees are facing a right-handed starter, but it's unclear if Judge will start in right field or get a start at designated hitter. If the Yankees want to ease him back into things, he may not start in the field.
However, starting Judge at designated hitter would take Luis Garcia Jr. or Ben Rice out of the lineup, which the Yankees likely don't want to do. It's possible that the Yankees start Judge in right field, with Cody Bellinger and Spencer Jones starting in the other two outfield spots. They could then lift Judge after a couple of at-bats and a few innings in the field and replace him with Jasson Domínguez or Heliot Ramos.