Aaron Judge returns as Yankees beat Rockies

Aaron Judge returned to the New York Yankees lineup Tuesday after a lengthy absence, and while the three-time MVP had a quiet night at the plate, his team won 5-3 over the Colorado Rockies.

Judge went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a flyout in his first game since May 31. He was removed after six innings as the Yankees continue to take a cautious approach following his recovery from a stress fracture in his right rib.

Because Judge returned without a minor league rehab assignment, New York is expected to manage his workload carefully during his first several games. That could include keeping him from playing complete games and giving him a day off in the near future.

“The competitor in him wants to be out there, and I get that because he’s done a lot of work to prepare to be ready to play,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “And I know in his mind, he feels he is very much ready to play and go the distance, but it’s my job to be smart here, especially these first several games here.”

Judge’s availability for Wednesday night’s second game of the three-game series remains uncertain. If he is in the lineup, he is expected to bat third between Cody Bellinger and Luis Garcia Jr.

The Yankees enter Wednesday with an 82-62 record and have won six of their last 10 games as they battle for position in both the American League East and wild-card races.

New York sits four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East and holds a three-game advantage over the Boston Red Sox for the American League’s first wild-card spot.

Bellinger and Garcia have provided significant production during the Yankees’ recent stretch. Bellinger scored twice Tuesday and has collected 15 hits in his last 42 at-bats, while Garcia is batting .370, going 17-for-46 over his last 13 games after recording two more hits in the series opener.

Colorado, meanwhile, fell to 55-89 and faces the possibility of a fourth consecutive 100-loss season. The Rockies must win at least eight of their final 18 games to avoid reaching that mark.

Colorado has lost 15 of its last 20 games, although each of its last seven defeats has come by two runs or fewer.

“We’ve got a lot of young players that are getting in these growth situations, but at the same time, it’s not enough for us,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “We want to win, and we’ve been close. We’ve been close a lot of the time and lost those games, but the idea is to learn how to win.”

The Rockies managed only four hits Tuesday, including Hunter Goodman’s two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning. It was Colorado’s first game with four hits or fewer since July 12 after recording double-digit hits in five consecutive contests.

Will Warren is scheduled to start Wednesday for New York. The right-hander enters with a 9-6 record and a 4.16 ERA and will look to build on his performance in a 16-1 victory over Boston on Aug. 30.

Warren allowed one run on six hits over seven-plus innings in that outing, earning his first victory since July 31. He is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in two career starts against Colorado.

The Rockies will counter with Tomoyuki Sugano, who enters at 12-8 with a 5.19 ERA. Sugano is 0-3 with a 10.00 ERA over his last four appearances.

His strongest outing during that stretch came last Wednesday, when he surrendered three runs on six hits over six innings before Colorado eventually defeated Baltimore 6-5 in 11 innings.

Sugano spent last season with the Orioles and went 1-2 with a 6.19 ERA in four starts against the Yankees. New York hitters batted .329 with a .985 OPS against him in those games.

With the postseason race entering its final stretch, the Yankees will look to secure another victory Wednesday while continuing to carefully manage Judge’s return to the lineup.