For the first time since May 31, New York Yankees slugger and captain Aaron Judge was in an MLB lineup for Tuesday night's home game against the Colorado Rockies.

Judge, who was making his return from a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts before manager
Aaron Boone pulled the three-time AL Most Valuable Player after six innings. Following New York's 5-3 win, Judge spoke honestly about not being permitted to finish the game as part of the club's plan to build up his workload ahead of the playoffs. 

Aaron Judge was "not happy" to leave Tuesday's game early

"I respect Boonie, so whatever he says I’m gonna do," Judge said, per Chelsea Janes of SNY. "But I’m not happy about it." 

The Yankees improved to 82-62 in large part because Heliot Ramos, who replaced Judge in right field, hit a clutch three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. New York still trails the first-place Tampa Bay Rays (86-58) in the AL East standings, but the Yankees began Wednesday three games ahead of the rival Boston Red Sox (80-66) for the top AL wild-card spot.

"I wanted to come back a couple of months ago, but I’m not a trainer, so I’ve got to check whatever boxes they’ve got," Judge explained, according to Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News. "A box they wanted me to check was live hitting, so I said, 'Perfect, we’ll do that on [Monday] so I can play.'"

How Aaron Judge felt after being back in the lineup

Judge did not complete a stint in the minors as part of his rehab process, so, understandably, he is being eased back into the swing of things regardless of his wishes. As long as Judge is healthy enough to play, he and others in the Yankees clubhouse will view the team as a legitimate contender to win the World Series. 

"I feel great," Judge added after the win. "I just haven’t been in a live game or seen live pitching in three months, so it’s kind of like the start of the year. I’ve got work to do. I’ve got to improve, and we’ll keep improving."

The Yankees will host the Rockies (55-89) again on Wednesday and Thursday evening.