The New York Yankees are expected to activate slugger Aaron Judge from the injured list on Friday and have him in the lineup to face the Houston Astros.
Judge has missed two months with a strained left oblique sustained during a swing on April 20, but he isn't worried about easing back in or avoiding re-injury upon his return.
"I'm not going to try to baby it or go at 80 percent," Judge told reporters Thursday. "We're in the major leagues. We're ready to go. That's not something I'm worried about happening again."
Manager Aaron Boone said the team would make a corresponding move after Thursday's game against Houston to open a spot on the 25-man roster for Judge, who will bring the Yankees closer to full strength after Giancarlo Stanton returned from a lengthy absence earlier this week.
The Yankees have held up well despite a load of injuries, entering Thursday at 46-27 and atop the American League East while relying on a number of unheralded players.
"I'm just trying to crack this lineup," Judge joked about his return. "I don't know where I'm going to fit in. We'll see."
Judge went 2-for-16 with one homer and two RBIs in five games during a rehab stint with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre over the past week. In 20 regular-season games for New York this year, he's batting .288 with five homers and 11 RBIs.
--Field Level Media
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