MINNEAPOLIS – It took six games and 21 at-bats, but it was well worth the wait.
Aaron Judge hit his first home run since his return from the injured list in the eighth inning of the Yankees’ 8-3 win over the Twins on Monday night at Target Field.
The Yankees clinched a berth in the 2026 postseason when the Blue Jays lost to the Tigers, 6-5. It’s the third straight season and the eighth time in Aaron Boone’s nine years as manager that the Yankees have reached the postseason.
Judge, who missed three months with a stress fracture in his right ribcage, blasted an A.J. Minter pitch deep into the second deck for a three-run blast that put the Yankees on top, 7-2.
Before the home run, Judge was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a double-play grounder. But he turned on a 2-2 cutter from Minter and hit a vintage Judge moonshot – 36 degrees on the launch angle and 415 feet from home plate, according to Statcast.
“It felt good, just like other swings,” Judge said. “At least I made contact that time, so it felt a little better than the other ones. I’m just trying to get better every single day, right? The ultimate goal is to be ready for the postseason, but we’ve got some important games the next couple of weeks, and I’ve got to be ready to go. I’m just happy I could help the team tonight.”
Going into Monday’s game, Judge was 3-for-17 with a walk and nine strikeouts since he returned from the IL on Sept. 8. But his manager said he’d seen plenty of positive signs even before that ball reached the seats at Target Field.
“I haven’t been the least bit concerned about anything,” Boone said. “I feel like he’s swinging mostly at the right pitches. He chased a cutter 3-2 earlier. But I feel like day in and day out, he feels kind of close to me.
“You know, he’s not all the way where he’s going to get to. But he’s got 20-plus at-bats now, which I think is valuable, and we’ve still got a couple weeks now to go, and he’s going to only get – hopefully – more sharp as we head to the finish line.”