Last-place Yankees 'on track' to get Aaron Judge back Tuesday

Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge is “on track” to be activated by the Yankees Tuesday ahead of their match with Oakland, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. That would be the earliest possible date Judge can return. Hoch reports that Judge has continued to perform running and hitting drills.

It goes without saying that Judge’s return would provide a huge boost for the Yankees, who find themselves in last place in the AL East and already 10 games adrift of the first-place Rays. Offense has been a big problem with and without Judge this season in the Bronx, with the Yankees ranking 27th in the sport in hits and 28th in on-base percentage. In Judge’s absence, the likes of Aaron Hicks, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Franchy Cordero have seen regular playing time in the outfield, with all delivering well below-average results.

For Judge’s part, he wasn’t quite at the blistering pace he hit at in 2022, but was still enjoying a quality start to the season. Through 26 games, the Yankees captain had a .261/.352/.511 line with six home runs.

The team recently activated center fielder Harrison Bader off the IL, so having both Bader and Judge back in the lineup will make the Yankees’ outfield picture look a bit more promising, but the lack of a clear option in left field remains a concern.

It’s unclear yet who on the current roster will make way for Judge’s return. Jake Bauers would seem a potential candidate, but the team may prefer to give him a longer opportunity to see if he can continue his impressive in Triple-A in the majors. Aaron Hicks continues to struggle this season, but his contract makes taking him off the roster a major move. The team could also look to option either Oswaldo Cabrera or Oswald Peraza, two youngsters who are off to slow starts at the plate this season.