Aaron Judge is back, and he didn’t wait long to start doing Aaron Judge things.
In his second game since returning from a toe injury, the New York Yankees captain hit a two-run homer off Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Tyler Wells on Saturday. Per Baseball Savant, the ball was hit 111.6 mph and traveled 442 feet.
It was Judge’s 20th homer of the season, tying him for sixth in the AL despite his missing nearly two months due to that toe injury.
Judge went down June 3 after he ran into a Dodger Stadium gate to make a highlight-reel catch, tearing a ligament in his toe and leaving him with a hazy timetable to return. The day finally arrived Friday, with him going 0-for-1 with three walks against the Orioles.
The Yankees were in dire need of Judge’s return, given that they entered Saturday with a 54-49 record, nine games back from the Orioles in the AL East lead and 3.5 games back from the final AL wild-card spot. The Yankees, who have dealt with several other injuries, are 24-29 in games Judge doesn’t play this season.
