WATCH: Yankees’ Aaron Judge returns to lineup after injury and smashes monster homer immediately

New York Yankees, Aaron Judge
Mar 10, 2018; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits his second double on the day during the third inning against the New York Mets at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge has been nursing a stiff neck for the past few days, receiving treatment to help soothe his pain. Manager Aaron Boone stated yesterday that the team was being cautious with how they went about his injury.

“He is getting worked on right now, I’d say there is a chance, but we haven’t made that call yet.”

“Yes, when he came in today, there is improvement. Again, he’s getting worked on right now, so will have a good feel for whether he is in or out of the intrasquad here in a little bit.”

However, Judge returned to the lineup on Wednesday evening, smashing a home run immediately to announce his return.

The 2017 Rookie of the Year played in just 102 games last season, posting a .272 batting average with 27 homers and 55 RBIs. He missed a ton of time during spring training 1.0 and was expected to miss at least half the year with a stress fracture in a rib. Luckily, that injury has been rehabilitated and there’s no longer a problem.