Yankees activate Aaron Judge before crucial clash with Orioles
BALTIMORE — Aaron Judge is back.
The Yankees activated their captain on Friday, just in time for a three-game series with the first-place Orioles. The team demoted Oswald Peraza to make space for Judge, who has been out since June 3 after tearing a ligament in his right big toe while making a spectacular catch at Dodger Stadium.
The Yankees also designated Willie Calhoun for assignment on Friday.
Judge’s injury left the Yankees without the reigning MVP for nearly two months. The team’s lineup scuffled as a result. As of Friday morning, the Yankees were 29th in average, 26th in on-base percentage, 22nd in wRC+ and 21st in runs during Judge’s absence.
Judge, in 49 games, has slashed .291/.404/.674 with 19 home runs, 40 RBIs, a 187 wRC+ and 2.7 Wins Above Replacement, per FanGraphs. He leads the team in all three slash line statistics, home runs, wRC+ and WAR.
The last-place Yankees, while 54-48 overall, have been a sub-.500 team without Judge, going 19-23 during his most recent stint on the injured list. The Bombers also struggled offensively while posting a 4-6 record when Judge spent time on the shelf with a hip injury earlier in the season.
Judge returns with the Yankees 2.5 games out of the American League’s third and final wild-card spot. The Rays, Astros and Blue Jays all held wild-card positions as of Friday, while the Red Sox were 1.5 games out. The Angels were three games out and directly behind the Yankees.
By deciding to keep Shohei Ohtani and trading for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López, the Halos have already established themselves as buyers as they chase a playoff berth. The Yankees, meanwhile, felt they were in a position to buy prior to their series with Baltimore, but they were taking their trade deadline approach day-by-day entering the weekend.
The team’s performance against the Orioles, which Judge could aid, may impact what the Yankees do before Tuesday’s deadline, which coincides with a three-game series against the Rays.
