Aaron Judge celebrated his return to the Bronx Bombers with a trip to Queens.
The Yankees slugger, activated off the injured list Monday night after a three-month stay due to a right rib stress fracture, took in some U.S. Open action as the news broke.
Judge, alongside wife Samantha, caught Coco Gauff’s win over fellow American Iva Jovic at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
That came hours after he was slated to face live pitching for the first time during his ramp-up, which also included taking on-field batting practice, hitting off high-velocity pitching machines and tracking pitches in bullpen sessions.
“He’s our captain, best player in baseball,” pitcher Max Fried said over the weekend. “To have him back in the lineup is obviously a huge boost. We’re definitely a better team when he’s in the lineup.”
Judge hasn’t hit the field since May 31, a span of 84 games in which the Yanks went 45-39. They sit four games back of the AL East-leading Rays and two games ahead of the rival Red Sox for the top wild-card berth.
Also in Flushing to catch Gauff-Jovic were Bombers rookies Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. — accompanied by the shortstop’s mom, Judy.
The highly touted prospects enjoyed the night off with the Yankees set to begin a three-game home series against the Rockies on Tuesday night — with Judge in tow.
Judge’s return would mark his first action with Lombard, who joined the team on Aug. 4 and has seemingly righted his defensive play, going six straight games without an error after committing them in six consecutive games.
