Aaron Judge hasn’t played a game for the New York Yankees since the final day of May. Since then, the Bronx Bombers have been able to tread water in the American League despite a less-than-impressive offense over the past three months. However, on Monday night, the Yankees activated their captain with hopes that it will be the difference-maker for the team.

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about the return of Aaron Judge to the Yankees lineup, why opting not to do a rehab stint works out for him with the Colorado Rockies in town, and whether the team will be able to stave off a Boston Red Sox team right on their tails in the Wild Card race.

The guys then get into the controversial umpiring from Doug Eddings after he told St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Hancel Rincon to fix his hat, recap an entertaining series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves, and talk about Shohei Ohtani admitting to probably not pitching again this season.

1:11 - The Opener: Aaron Judge returns
22:11 - We Need To Talk About: Doug Eddings goes too far
37:43 - Around The League: Phillies-Braves recap
49:20 - Corbin Burnes is back
52:30 - Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch again in 2026

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When the Los Angeles Dodgers started the 2026 campaign, their hopes of becoming the first MLB team to three-peat since the ’90s New York Yankees dynasty seemed pretty good. While their team features All-Stars scattered throughout their roster, a lot of their strength revolved around their two-way superstar, Shohei Ohtani. Now, just weeks away from the postseason, he finds himself on the injured list.

On this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss if the back-to-back defending champions fumbled the injury situation with the four-time MVP winner and if Ohtani will be ready for the NLDS. They then get into Los Angeles calling up top prospect Josue De Paula and if his impressive showing in the minors will be able to translate this early in his career to the big leagues.

Later in the show, Jake and Jordan revisit their bold predictions for the 2026 season from March and see how many they’ve gotten right, which ones are still in play, and which have hopelessly fallen by the wayside. The guys then make their selections for this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad and the Uggla before highlighting the importance of baseball on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

1:15 - The Opener: Shohei Ohtani to the IL
28:43 - Dodgers call up top prospect
33:47 - Re-examining bold predictions
1:00:00 - The Good
1:05:37 - The Bad
1:11:17 - The Uggla
1:14:54 - Weekend Preview

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:

🎧 Apple Podcasts

🎧 Spotify

🖥️ YouTube

📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv

And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:

🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social

🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ

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⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz

🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

With two weeks left in the regular season, the postseason picture is starting to become a little clearer. However, in the American League, the picture is still a little murky, with multiple teams still in the mix in the division and Wild Card races. As five teams look to finish the season strong, which two will be the ones to get the coveted trip to the October dance?

On this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman take a look at the current state of the MLB postseason picture in the American and National Leagues. Will the Chicago White Sox be able to close out the AL Central, or will the Cleveland Guardians swoop in and take it from them? Can the Toronto Blue Jays, with a strong finish, find a way to make it four AL East teams in the postseason as they sit one game back in the Wild Card?

Later in the show, Jake and Jordan examine the case for New York Yankees ace Cam Schlittler to win the AL Cy Young and AL MVP. After Yankees captain Aaron Judge made a comment about pitchers having their own award, is the MVP an award that pitchers should win? Also, can Cam hold off other strong candidates like the Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez and the Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero?

1:59 - The Opener: AL postseason update
32:56 - Who will miss out in the NL?
48:30 - We Need To Talk About: Schlittler for MVP?
58:26 - Turbo Mode: Weekend recap

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:

🎧 Apple Podcasts

🎧 Spotify

🖥️ YouTube

📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv

And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:

🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social

🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ

📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq

⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz

🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_