Aaron Judge was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Monday night and is set to rejoin New York for Tuesday’s home series opener against Colorado after missing more than three months.
The 35-year-old captain has not played since May 31 because of a broken right rib, but he traveled on the Yankees’ West Coast trip, took on-field batting practice in San Diego and will return without a minor league rehab assignment.
New York went 45-39 in the 84 games Judge missed, yet its offense sagged sharply: batting average fell to .227 from .243 and OPS dropped to .681 from .770.
With 19 regular-season games left, the Yankees are 81-62, four games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East and two ahead of Boston for the top AL wild card.
To clear a 40-man roster spot for Judge, New York designated right-hander Chase Hampton for assignment.