New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge returned from the injured list on Friday night, going 0 for 1 with three walks in a loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Judge returned in another sense on Saturday (GameTracker), launching his 20th home run of the year to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the third inning.
Take a look:
🗣️ ALL RISE
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 30, 2023
Aaron Judge hits his 20th HR of the season 💥
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/Ft2NecVSWr
According to Statcast, Judge's blast had a 111.6 mph exit velocity and traveled 442 feet. Their estimates suggest it would've been a home run in all 30 parks.
That's Judge's first home run since June 3. He tore a ligament in his toe that same day, which caused him to miss more than a month and a half. Judge has said that he'll continue to play through the pain, but that offseason surgery might be required for him to make a full recovery. (The same, one reckons, is true of the baseball he punished on Saturday night.)
Judge, the reigning American League Most Valuable Player Award winner, entered Saturday batting .290/.410/.670 (193 OPS+) with 19 home runs, 40 RBI and three stolen bases (on four tries). His contributions had been worth an estimated 2.5 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference.
The Yankees, 54-49 and stationed in last place in the AL East to begin the weekend, are in the midst of a pivotal 10-game stretch that includes series against the aforementioned Orioles, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Houston Astros. All three of those clubs would be in the playoffs if they started today.
The Yankees, meanwhile, would not qualify. They came into Saturday trailing the Toronto Blue Jays by 3 ½ games for the third and final AL wild card spot.
