{
  "id": 3859165,
  "title": "Yankees’ Aaron Judge makes it clear he wants to skip rehab assignment: ‘Why waste at-bats?’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/yankees-aaron-judge-makes-it-clear-he-wants-to-skip-rehab-assignment",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-28T01:03:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/yankees-aaron-judge-makes-clear-010300009.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Aaron Judge, the Yankees' star outfielder, has completed his rehabilitation process after a stress fracture in his right rib and is eager to return to the major leagues. Judge has been progressing through baseball activities, including running, throwing, and hitting off a tee, soft toss, and overhand batting practice. He has not been waiting for a rehab assignment, saying, \"Why waste at-bats? Why waste anything down in a minor league game?\" Judge is confident that he can get his reps in the cage and hit off the Yankees' Trajekt machine. He may even face live at-bats against some of the team's injured pitchers. Boone, the Yankees' captain, acknowledged Judge's preference for avoiding rehab assignments, stating that the team will make a collective decision. Judge is eager to return, possibly as soon as tomorrow, but he hasn't specified when he'd like to be back. He feels good and has not experienced any pain in his rib since being cleared for baseball activities. The Yankees will need to monitor Judge's defense cautiously, but his bat speed and power will be the primary focus as they look to improve their offensive output.",
  "summary": "NEW YORK — Aaron Judge has not played in a baseball game since May 31. He would like his next one to come in the major leagues. The Yankees superstar, currently progressing through baseball activities after being sidelined by a stress fracture in his first right rib, said that he is “hoping not to do a rehab [assignment]” on Thursday. The way Judge sees it, he doesn’t want to fire any bullets ...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Yankees' Aaron Judge Hopes To Avoid Rehab Assignment",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/yankees-aaron-judge-hopes-to-avoid-rehab-assignment",
        "published": "2026-08-27T21:42:29.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}