NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge returned to the New York Yankees after a 99-day absence — a gap that matched his uniform number.
Recovered from a broken rib, Judge started in right field and batted third Tuesday night in a series opener against the Colorado Rockies.
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Aaron Judge practices batting before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Aaron Judge steps on the field for batting practice before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Aaron Judge steps on the field for batting practice before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Aaron Judge practices batting before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Aaron Judge practices batting before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
“He won’t play the whole game today, even though he wants to,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He'll probably have one of the days this series off.”
A three-time AL MVP, Judge had missed 84 games since his last appearance on May 31. The 34-year-old tried to persuade Boone to activate him after centerfielder Trent Grisham strained a hamstring on Friday night.
“He actually appeared in my door in San Diego after Grish got hurt: ‘Ready to go tomorrow,’" Boone recalled. “Didn’t want to do that because there were some final boxes we definitely wanted him to check.”
Judge took batting practice at Yankee Stadium on Monday's off day and was activated that night. Boone had spoken separately with Judge, and strength and conditioning coach Brett McCabe, followed by the athletic training staff, general manager Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner.
“Hal just wanted to know where everyone was with it, where we stood,” Boone said.
Judge, who didn't speak with reporters before the game, sprayed several homers to right, center and left during batting practice Tuesday. He entered hitting .248 with 17 homers, 38 RBIs and a .907 OPS.
Judge initially was injured attempting to avoid second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. during an unsuccessful try for a diving catch at Houston on April 26 and batted .263 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in 31 games before going on the injured list. He had just one homer in 18 games before the IL stint.
New York was 36-23 after Judge last played on May 31 and went 45-39 in his absence. The Yankees hit .243 with 86 homers and a .770 OPS in 59 games through May 31 but .227 with 107 homers and a .681 OPS while Judge was sidelined. Their batting average during that stretch ranked 29th among the 30 major league teams, ahead of Seattle at .225.
“We hung in there,” Boone said. “We’ve had stretches where it’s been a real struggle for us offensively.”
Opposing pitchers were a little more aggressive to other Yankees' batters during Judge's absence, according to MLB Statcast. Ben Rice received 48.3% strikes, up from 46.7%, and Cody Bellinger 49.7%, an increase from 47.3%.
“There is an effect around him netting better opportunities and better at-bats for everyone,” Boone said. “We’re very left-handed and have been much of the year. So how many days a week are we getting a lefty in the fifth inning, in the seventh inning and the ninth inning and they’re matching up against us and they don’t have to roll through Aaron Judge that’s surrounding those lefties?”
New York entered 81-62, four games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay and two games in front of Boston (80-65) for the top AL wild card. The Yankees hold a potential tiebreaker over the Red Sox after winning the season series.
Judge hit a career-high .331 with 53 homers and 114 RBIs in 152 games last year, winning his third MVP and first batting title.
Reliever Fernando Cruz, sidelined since Aug. 25 by a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, decided against Tommy John surgery after being examined by Texas Rangers physician Dr. Keith Meister and hopes to pitch again this season.
Cruz had a cortisone shot and plans to resume throwing this week.
“If it breaks, it breaks," he said. “If you hear a pop or you hear something, it’s time to go to a operation.”
Left-hander Ryan Weathers threw off flat ground up to 75 feet as he tries to return from a left forearm flexor strain that has kept him out of games since Aug. 22.
Weathers intends to throw again Wednesday and Thursday, take Friday off and perhaps pitch off a mound after that. He hopes to have a bullpen role in the postseason.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Aaron Judge practices batting before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Aaron Judge steps on the field for batting practice before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Aaron Judge steps on the field for batting practice before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Aaron Judge practices batting before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Aaron Judge practices batting before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland both found the net in the Champions League as Real Madrid and Manchester City kicked off their campaigns with wins Tuesday.
Mbappe gave record 15-time champion Madrid an early lead en route to 2-1 victory over Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Haaland scored both goals as 2023 winner City beat Porto 2-0.
Madrid and City are expected to be among the main challengers to back-to-back defending champion Paris Saint-Germain this season and both will be relying on their star strikers.
Mbappe's goal after 14 minutes was his 71st in European club soccer's top competition and saw him move level with Madrid great Raul in fifth place on the all-time scorers list. Haaland took his tally to 59 in 59 appearances in the Champions League.
Borussia Dortmund beat Villarreal 3-2, and Real Betis won by the same score at Lille.
Aston Villa also won 3-2 over Club Brugge, and AEK Athens sealed a 1-0 win over LASK.
PSG begins its campaign on Wednesday against Slovan Bratislava.
Jose Mourinho made a winning return to the Champions League with Madrid despite Inter dominating possession.
It was a classic Mourinho performance as Madrid capitalized on two first-half errors by the visitors.
When Inter lost possession deep in its own half Brahim Diaz slid in Mbappe, who fired low past Josep Martinez.
The Inter goalkeeper was then guilty of indecision when Federico Valverde closed him down in his own area and poked the ball into an empty net.
Inter, which ended the game with 61% possession, set up a tense finish when Carlos Augusto scored in the 77th.
"There’s so much criticism when a game is boring, but today it was crazy — it could easily have ended 7-6,” Mourinho told broadcaster Movistar.
Mourinho won his second Champions League title with Inter in 2010 and is aiming to join the likes of Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique and Zinedine Zidane by lifting the trophy for a third time.
With five goals in his last three games, Haaland is on fire. And it could have been even more if not for Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa's first-half heroics.
Haaland eventually found the breakthrough at Estadio do Dragao with a header two minutes into the second half. He side-footed City's second in stoppage time to make certain of the win and ensure new coach Enzo Maresca's 100% start continued.
“We have to learn. Enzo demands a lot from us and we have to demand a lot from each other,” Haaland told Amazon Prime. “We have to win games because at Man City, you have to win trophies. That’s what we have to do at this club.”
Aston Villa put its domestic problems behind it with a win over Club Brugge.
Victory in Belgium ended Villa's winless and goalless start to its 2026-27 season, after early struggles in the Premier League.
John McGinn recorded the first goal of the Champions League campaign with a sweeping low shot from an angle in the 11th minute. Hugo Vetlesen equalized for Brugge, but Emiliano Buendia and Nicolas Jackson put Villa 3-1 up by the break.
Nicolo Tresoldi scored for the home team with a 61st-minute penalty, but Villa held on for the win.
Villa coach Unai Emery will hope victory kickstarts his team's season after the summer departures of star players Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Emi Martinez.
His much-changed team lost to Brighton and Arsenal in the Premier League and picked up its first point of the season with a goalless draw against newly promoted Hull on Saturday. It had recorded only one shot on target in those three games.
Borussia Dortmund teenager Konstantinos Karetsas was taken to the hospital after slumping to the turf 25 minutes into his Champions League debut.
“Konstantinos Karetsas had to leave the field due to circulatory problems,” Dortmund said in a statement. “Kosta is doing well under the circumstances and is on his way to the hospital for further tests.”
Serhou Guirassy scored three goals — two for Dortmund and one in his own net — in a frantic finish against Villarreal.
Guirassy gave Dortmund a 2-1 lead in the 80th and then struck again from the penalty spot five minutes later.
An added-time own goal made it 3-2.
It has been an eventful few days for Troy Parrott.
The Ireland international scored his first goal for new club Betis with a late winner against Madrid on Friday and he was on target again with the decisive goal in the 3-2 win in Lille.
AEK Athens beat LASK 1-0 thanks to Razvan Marin's brilliant first-half free kick.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
Manchester City's Erling Haaland reacts during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between FC Porto and Manchester City in Porto, Portugal, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis Vieira)
Manchester City's Erling Haaland, center, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between FC Porto and Manchester City in Porto, Portugal, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis Vieira)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates the opening goal, during a Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Inter Milan in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe fights for the ball against Inter Milan's Hakan Calhanoglu before scoring the opening goal, during a Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Inter Milan in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Aston Villa's Emiliano Buendia makes an attempt to score on a free kick during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Club Brugge and Aston Villa in Bruges, Belgium, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Brugge's Hugo Vetlesen celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Club Brugge and Aston Villa in Bruges, Belgium, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Aston Villa's John McGinn celebrates at the end of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Club Brugge and Aston Villa in Bruges, Belgium, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Aston Villa's Nicolas Jackson scores his side's third goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Club Brugge and Aston Villa in Bruges, Belgium, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Aston Villa's John McGinn battles for the ball with Brugge's Felix Lemarechal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Club Brugge and Aston Villa in Bruges, Belgium, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Real Madrid's head coach Jose Mourinho leaves the pitch after the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Betis and Real Madrid in Seville, Spain, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
