The speed at which the ball left the bat gave the New York Yankees a sense of relief. New York Yankees to feel relief.
Slugging center fielder Aaron Judge returned to the lineup on March 20 after missing nine days because of abdominal discomfort. In his first plate appearance, Judge lined an RBI double to the right-center field gap off Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Marco Gonzales.
The exit velocity was 106.4 mph.
Judge also walked on eight pitches in the second inning in his only other plate appearance. The Yankees routed the Pirates 12-0 in a Grapefruit League game at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa as Giancarlo Stanton belted three home runs, driving in Judge with each of the first two.
Aaron Judge Returns to Action
It marked Judge’s first game action since March 10 when he struck out in both plate appearances against the Atlanta Braves before leaving that game. He felt discomfort in his abdomen during the follow-through on a swing.
Judge got through Wednesday’s game without incident, which was good news for the Yankees, who had downplayed the significance of the injury.
“I’m feeling good,” Judge said. “Just excited to get back in there and get a couple of bats, a couple swings and a couple tough balls in the field.”
Judge played four innings in the field before being removed for a pinch-hitter. Judge deftly made a catch going back toward the center-field fence in his final inning on a liner by Jack Suwinski.
The Yankees had said since Judge was sidelined that the injury was minor, and he likely could have played through it during the regular season. However, they didn’t want to take any risks with the 31-year-old, in the second season of a nine-year, $360-million contract.
“All I’ll say is we’re feeling pretty good,” Judge told MLB.com earlier in the week. “The MRIs came back clean. I think a lot of it was precautionary. No need to risk stuff in spring training. The main goal is to be game-ready for opening day, so we’re just going to work toward that.”
Judge missed 42 games last season with a torn ligament in his right big toe. He sustained the injury on June 3 when he ran into the right-field fence while chasing a fly ball in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium while chasing a fly ball.
The five-time All-Star said the toe has not given him any problems this spring.
Opening Day Approaching for Yankees
While the Yankees held Judge out, manager Aaron Boone knew it was time to get the 2022 American League MVP back into Grapefruit League action. The Yankees open the season on March 28 when they visit the Houston Astros.
“Excited to get him going,” Boone said. “It’s good to get him back in there.
“He’s probably had 100 live at-bats. Just not all when the TV (cameras have) been on him. I’m not worried about that part.”
Boone also spoke to Heavy.com earlier in the spring about what makes Judge great.
Judge hit .267/.406/.613 last season with 37 home runs in 106 games. The Yankees finished 82-80, missing the postseason for the first time since 2016 and narrowly avoided their first losing season since 1992.
In 2022, Judge hit an AL-record 62 home runs.
