NEW YORK -- The Yankees will get some major relief from the injury bug on Tuesday.
Superstar outfielder Aaron Judge is set to return from the injured list after dealing with a right hip strain over the past week-plus. Tuesday is the first day he is eligible to return from the IL.
"MVP back," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday. "It's gonna be fun to write his name back into the lineup."
Judge has not felt any pain in his hip in the past five days and said he won't have any restrictions when he returns, although he will try to avoid headfirst slides after suffering the injury on one. The slugger spent the weekend with the team working out at the team's player development complex in Tampa as the Yankees faced off against the Rays.
The Yankees are in last place in the American League East, 10 games behind the first-place Rays. The lineup has missed Judge's presence, sitting fifth-worst in total hits and seventh-worst in runs scored. His return also bodes a change in vibe around the team.
"There's just that presence he has in being our leader," Boone said. "The guys look to him; I think there is an intangible element to him being back in there as well."
Before his stint on the IL, Judge played in 26 games, hitting .261/.352/.511 with six homers.
The Yankees face a roster decision in order to activate Judge. The options include releasing outfielder Aaron Hicks, designating Jake Bauers or Willie Calhoun, or demoting Oswaldo Cabrera or Oswald Peraza, who has been dealing with an ankle sprain and could be a candidate to be placed on the IL.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
