Yardbarker
x
Yankees’ Judge, Higashioka return from COVID-19 IL
Aaron Judge, who earned an American League All-Star nod, this season, entered Tuesday batting .282 with 21 home runs and 47 RBI this season. Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees' Aaron Judge, Kyle Higashioka return from COVID-19 IL

New York Yankees star slugger Aaron Judge, third baseman Gio Urshela and catcher Kyle Higashioka all landed on the COVID-19 injured list earlier this month during an outbreak that resulted in the postponement of a game. 

Urshela was reinstated over the weekend, and Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com noted that the Yankees reinstated both Judge and Higashioka ahead of Tuesday's matchup at the Tampa Bay Rays. 

In total, Judge and Higashioka both missed nine games and, as a result, weren't available when the Yankees dropped three of four to the Boston Red Sox before being off on Monday. While Higashioka is the Yankees' backup catcher, Judge earned an American League All-Star nod and is batting .282 with 21 home runs and 47 RBI this season. 

The third-place Yankees trailed the first-place Red Sox by nine-and-a-half games and were eight back of the Rays in the AL East standings at the start of Tuesday's action. 

As Bryan Hoch wrote for the MLB website, Yankees pitchers Jonathan Loaisiga and Nestor Cortes Jr. also tested positive amid the COVID-19 outbreak but have since returned. Lefty Wandy Peralta might need a rehab assignment in the minor leagues before he's prepared to face big-league hitters. 

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!