NEW YORK YANKEE'S' AARON BOONE MAKES AARON JUDGE STATEMENT BEFORE ROOKIES GAMES

 

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The New York Yankees finally activated star outfielder Aaron Judge from the injured list ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium.

Judge had been on the injured list since early June due to a right rib stress fracture. He returned from the IL without going on a rehab assignment.

Before Tuesday’s game against the Rockies, Yankees manager Aaron Boone commented on Judge’s return from the IL.

New York Yankees’ Aaron Boone Makes Aaron Judge Statement Before Rockies Game

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 28: Aaron Judge #99 and manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees look on against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on August 28, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Via Talkin’ Yanks on X: Aaron Boone says Yankees fans should expect Aaron Judge to be eased back in and be subbed out early in some games before playing a full nine innings.

Since Judge didn’t go on a rehab assignment, it appears he will be essentially rehabbing with the big-league team.

It makes sense why the Yankees prefer to have Judge back as soon as possible, even if it means he can’t play all nine innings right away.

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 01: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees looks on from the bench during the third inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 01, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

As it stands, New York has just a two-game lead over Boston for the top American League Wild Card spot. Assuming the top two Wild Card teams end up being the Yankees and Red Sox, the top seed between the two AL East rivals will host the other in a best-of-three Wild Card series in the postseason.

Also, the Yankees are just four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the American League East. While New York most likely won’t overtake that first-place spot, a strong finish to the season could lead to the Yankees reclaiming the division lead.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 29: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees looks on during the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox in game two of the doubleheader at Yankee Stadium on August 29, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Essentially, the Yankees need all the help they can get over the final month of the season. Even if Judge cannot play full games right away, having his bat in the lineup could lead to several more wins for the Yankees, which could prove vital at the end of the season.

Before landing on the injured list, Judge slashed .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI over 59 games this season.

New York Yankees Right Now

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 06: Cody Bellinger #35 of the New York Yankees celebrates scoring with Jasson Dominguez in the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on September 06, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

The Yankees have won six of their last 20 games. They are coming off a 2-1 series loss to the San Diego Padres.

Game 1 of the series between New York and Colorado is slated to begin at 7:05 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.

- Jackson Kruse

NATIONALS WIN MLB DRAFT LOTTERY, GET NO. 1 PICK FOR THIRD TIME

DALLAS -- The Washington Nationals will have the first pick in the 2025 MLB draft for the third time in franchise history after winning the draft lottery Tuesday at baseball's winter meetings.

Washington had the fourth-best odds (10.8%) to land the top pick. The Colorado Rockies and the Miami Marlins (22.5% each) were tied for the best chance, but the Marlins fell to seventh and the Rockies will select fourth.

The Los Angeles Angels will pick second after having the third-best odds for the first selection.

The Chicago White Sox, despite losing a modern-day-record 121 games, were not eligible for a lottery pick -- one of the top six selections -- because the collective bargaining agreement stipulates a team that pays into the revenue-sharing plan cannot hold a lottery pick in consecutive drafts. The White Sox chose fifth in the 2024 draft.

The Athletics were also ineligible because teams that receive revenue sharing cannot have a lottery pick three straight years.

The Nationals also drew the No. 1 pick at last year's draft lottery, but they weren't eligible for a lottery selection as a team that paid into the revenue-sharing plan and couldn't receive a lottery pick two years in a row, resulting in another drawing. The Cleveland Guardians won the No. 1 pick on the second drawing despite having just a 2% chance.

The pingpong balls went the Nationals' way again Tuesday, giving them a chance to replicate their previous success with No. 1 selections. In 2009, they chose right-hander Stephen Strasburg. A year later, they selected outfielder Bryce Harper. Both players were hyped as generational talents and quickly rose through the minors to serve as franchise cornerstones during the Nationals' ascension to NL East power in the 2010s.

Washington has not made the postseason since winning the 2019 World Series. The Nationals were third in the NL East in 2024 with a 71-91 record.

The draft lottery gives the 18 teams that do not reach the postseason an opportunity to land one of the first six selections. It was introduced in MLB's new collective bargaining agreement that went into effect in 2023. Picks from 7 to 18 are slotted by reverse winning percentage, followed by how teams finished in the postseason.

MLB PRESENCE IN MEXICO GOES BEYOND JUST HOSTING ANOTHER REGULAR SEASON

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 MEXICO CITY (AP) — When the Houston Astros take on the Colorado Rockies this weekend, it will be the seventh regular-season series played in Mexico. Major League Baseball's presence in the country, however, goes far beyond that.

Mexico became one of only six countries in the world with an MLB office in 2016. For Rodrigo Fernandez, the head of the organization south of the border, the regular-season series may be the biggest event, but it's far from the only one held in the country.

Among those, the MLB office runs a program called First Pitch to promote the game among kids. Another is the MLB Cup, a nation-wide tournament for 11 and 12 year olds that recently finished its fifth championship.

“For us (the series) is the cherry on top of the cake because we have many activities through the year,” Fernandez told The Associated Press. “The MLB Cup is broadcasted by ESPN and is the biggest tournament of its kind in Mexico. Those kids are Mexico’s future.”

The MLB office in Mexico, alongside the Mexican baseball federation, held the tournament with 28 teams. The finals were played in Mexico City.

“We want to send the message to kids that we are interested in them playing baseball. Many of them will probably end up being signed by the Mexican Baseball League, but also, they are going to play for the national team in their age group,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez has been the only director of the office since its creation in 2016. Before taking over, he worked as general manager of operations for World Wrestling Entertainment for Mexico and Latin America.

Besides Mexico, Major League Baseball has offices in London, Tokyo, Beijing and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The office is inside a luxury tower adjacent to the upscale Artz Pedregal shopping mall in the southern part of the city.

Even though Fernandez's position remains the same, some of the goals from MLB in Mexico have changed. In 2016, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he wanted to see if Mexico could be a potential site for expansion. But a year ago, Manfred said he’s “never been close to the idea of Mexico as an expansion opportunity.”

“Commissioner Manfred has a commitment and very high interest in Mexico, however there are several factors that have made us change our strategies and now solidifying the local leagues is the main step for us,” Fernandez said.

The MLB office in Mexico already works closely with the Mexican baseball federation and they are trying to forge a closer relationship with the Mexican Baseball League, led by league president Horacio de la Vega.

Since de la Vega took over in 2021, the league has seen increased attendance at stadiums, the games are broadcast on national TV and on streaming services. That has helped grow the sport’s popularity among a new generation of fans.

“I think (fan attendance) has increased, before there were a lot of old people in the park,” 63-year-old fan Carlos Hernandez said before a game between the Diablos Rojos and Tigres in Mexico City. “And now there are more fans, especially young ones.”

According to Othon Diaz, the Diablos Rojos president, nine years ago 53% of the team’s fans were 55 years or older and now 74% of them are under 45. Also, they averaged 3,000 fans per game and now it’s up to 11,000.

For some of those hard-core fans, having an MLB regular-season series is nice, but only for those who can afford it.

Fernandez said tickets for the Astros-Rockies series sold out in an hour and now the asking price on the resale market goes from $70 up to $580.

“It’s a good show, but the ticket prices are a little bit high. With the cheapest one you could come (to see the Diablos Rojos) for half of a season,” said Hernandez, who went to see the Diablos with his wife and two sons.

Mexico first hosted MLB games in August 1996, when the San Diego Padres faced the New York Mets in Monterrey. The Padres faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018. And in 2019, the Cincinnati Reds played the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Houston Astros faced the Los Angeles Angels.

Mexico City was due to host a series between the Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2020, but it was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, the Padres played against the San Francisco Giants.

According to Fernandez, there are plans to bring regular-season games to Mexico every year through 2026, though not necessarily at the same venue. Meanwhile, the work continues to help spread the popularity of baseball in the country.

-CARLOS RODRÍGUEZ

MLB ROUNDUP: BLAKE SNELL, PADRES FLIRT WITH NO-HITTER IN WIN

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San Diego ace Blake Snell exited after seven hitless innings on Tuesday, and the Padres beat the visiting Colorado Rockies 2-0 when Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run, walk-off homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Padres pitchers took a combined no-hitter into the ninth and wound up with a two-hit shutout for the team's sixth straight win.

Snell, a strong candidate for the National League Cy Young Award, issued four walks while striking out 10. He left after 104 pitches, having lowered his major-league-leading numbers in ERA (2.33) and opponents' batting average (.181). Snell has a 1.26 ERA in his past 22 starts.

Robert Suarez followed Snell with a perfect eighth before Brendan Rodgers lined a single past Bogaerts at short off Josh Hader (1-3). The San Diego closer gave up another hit to Nolan Jones before getting Elias Diaz to ground to Bogaerts for an inning-ending double play. Bogaerts then snuck a fly ball just inside the left field foul pole off Tyler Kinley (0-3) to win it.