After skipping a rehab assignment and missing 84 games, Aaron Judge seemed to spend the eve of his Yankees comeback in the last place anyone expected. With his return finally set, the captain took one more night away from baseball before stepping back into a lineup that has badly missed him.
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That final night away from baseball was spent at the US Open, where Judge arrived at Arthur Ashe Stadium with his wife, Samantha Bracksieck, and several Yankees teammates to watch Coco Gauff take on Iva Jovic. The couple walked the blue carpet before heading to a suite for the match, as per New York Post Sports, on the night Judge was activated and less than 24 hours before New York opened its series against the Colorado Rockies.
This was not Judge’s first trip to Flushing either. Back in 2023, he turned the US Open into a date night with Samantha Bracksieck, stepping out at Arthur Ashe Stadium during the second week of the tournament. The couple was seen holding hands before settling into box seats, with Yankees teammate Keynan Middleton also joining them. So while Judge’s latest appearance came on the eve of his baseball comeback, the US Open has already been a familiar off-field stop for the Yankees captain and his wife.
Judge’s US Open appearance also fits into a wider baseball-tennis crossover through Ralph Lauren.
The brand has worked directly with Major League Baseball since 2021, launching collections with teams including the Yankees, while its sports portfolio also stretches deep into tennis through partnerships with the US Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open. Judge became part of that same ecosystem in 2024 when Ralph Lauren made him the face of its Polo Est. 67 campaign, describing him as an athlete who “transcends the world of baseball.”
And for one night, Judge did exactly that. But the timing of his US Open appearance made it impossible to separate the moment from what was waiting for him back in the Bronx.
Judge last played on May 31 after suffering a stress fracture in his right first rib. What initially began as a stint on the 10-day injured list eventually turned into an absence of more than three months. Now that the Yankees have finally reinstated their captain, the mood around the team has changed.
MLB analyst Sean Casey summed up why Judge’s return matters so much. He said the slugger will make everybody in that lineup better from the jump, adding, “Even if he struggles out those first couple games, like a little spring training, it’s okay. Because him being back makes everybody better.”
The numbers back that up. New York went 36-23 through Judge’s final game in May, hitting .243 with a .770 OPS. During his absence, the Yankees went 45-39 while their batting average dropped to .227 and their OPS fell to .681. Their pitching helped keep them afloat, with the staff posting a league-best 3.24 ERA over that stretch.
Of course, Judge’s absence was not the only reason for the offensive slide. Injuries to other key hitters, including Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton, also hurt the lineup, while others were unable to consistently replace the production New York lost.
That is why Judge’s comeback is about more than simply adding another bat. His presence changes the entire lineup and brings back the player Aaron Boone has repeatedly described as irreplaceable.
The only real question was how Judge would make his return. There had been doubts over whether he would need a rehab assignment, but Judge made it clear he felt comfortable going straight back to the majors.
“If I tell them I’m ready to go play, I think we’re ready to go play. I’m not a pitcher, I’m a position player. And I can get my reps down here in the cage,” he said a couple of days ago. “I’m in every game. I’m sitting there in the dugout watching every game, feeling the environment, feeling the energy. So I don’t think there’s going to be much of a difference.”
Judge also does not seem concerned about immediately matching the form he showed before the injury, when he was batting .248 with a .907 OPS. For now, getting back on the field is the priority. His night watching Coco Gauff beat Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-4 was one final break before the real test begins, with the Yankees now focused on building his workload for October.