Aaron Judge’s return has given the New York Yankees a big morale boost, but his form is still catching up.
The superstar Yankees slugger was back in the lineup on Tuesday after missing over three months of action because of a rib injury and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y.
The 34-year-old Judge knows he will have to pick it up sooner rather than later, with the MLB postseason getting closer.
“I get paid to do this, so I gotta go do it. That’s the end of it. I get paid to go out there and give my best to the New York Yankees and these fans,” the three-time American League Most Valuable Player told reporters after the game, via SNY Yankees.
Judge missed a total of 84 games because of a broken rib, but the Yankees managed to stay afloat during his lengthy absence. With their win against Colorado, the Yankees guaranteed themselves a winning season, marking the 34th time in a row that they have done so.
The Yankees may still be taking a careful approach with Judge, giving him some time to rest here and there before the playoffs. New York (82062) has 18 more games left to play and enters Wednesday’s meeting with the Rockies four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the top spot in the American League East standings.
So far this season, Judge is hitting .244/.370/.525 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs in 60 games.
