Aaron Judge is going to use his head to think instead of slide when he is back on the base paths not a moment too soon for the Yankees.
Judge (hip strain) declared himself “ready to go” before his pregame workout Monday, which was the final hurdle to clear before coming off the injured list Tuesday, when first eligible.
Manager Aaron Boone added that no restrictions will be placed on Judge.
“I’m feeling good,” Judge said. “I’m glad it’s over with and excited to get back to this team.”
Judge was injured sliding headfirst into third base on April 26.
He was removed from the next day’s game (when Boone originally wanted to give him the day off) and placed on the injured list despite his protests.
“MVP back,” Boone said. “It will be fun to write his name in the lineup. There’s just that presence he has.”
Entering Monday’s series opener against the lowly Athletics, the Yankees were 3-6 and had fallen from six games out of first place to 10 back with Judge on the shelf. Outsiders are looking at Judge as the savior for a spiraling season.
“I’m just going to try to play my game — don’t slide headfirst into third,” Judge quipped. “Just try to keep with what I was doing early in the year.”
Despite the jokes, Judge doesn’t regret trying to steal third base with a 5-0 lead over the Twins. He called the injury a “fluke.”
“I’d steal again. I just wouldn’t slide headfirst,” Judge said. “It’s just kind of instinct. I don’t know what happens. I tell myself to slide feet-first, but I feel like I’m going to be out, so I just kind of dive to try to get to the base. I can’t promise it won’t happen again, but I’ll try not to.”
Judge was hitting off the pitching machine, running and throwing to get ready to return. Frustration about not contributing set in.
“I don’t think I can say what’s been going through my head,” Judge said. “It shifts from being a player to being a good teammate.”
A roster technicality related to Franchy Cordero’s roster spot prevented a Monday return.
“I should be back today but things got messed up a little bit,” Judge said. “I love rooting on my teammates, but I’d rather be rooting them on while I’m on the field with them.”
To activate Judge, the Yankees need to make a corresponding roster move and “everything [is] on the table,” Boone said.