NEW YORK — For more than three months, Aaron Judge could only watch.

Now the Yankees’ captain finally gets to step back into the batter’s box.

New York officially reinstated Judge from the 60-day injured list Monday night, clearing the way for the three-time American League MVP to return Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium.

The transaction itself required one corresponding move. Right-hander Chase Hampton was designated for assignment to create space on the 40-man roster.

The larger move cannot be summarized so easily.

The Yankees are getting Aaron Judge back in September.

That changes things.

Judge has been sidelined since early June because of a stress fracture in his right rib. He missed 84 games, turning what initially seemed like an interruption into one of the defining stories of New York’s summer.

Before the injury, Judge was hitting .248 with a .375 on-base percentage and .533 slugging percentage. He had 17 home runs and 38 RBIs across 59 games.

Those are significant numbers.

His presence represents something larger.

Few hitters change the structure of a lineup the way Judge does.

Pitch around him and you create traffic.

Challenge him and one mistake can become a souvenir.

Put runners on ahead of him and every pitch suddenly carries greater consequence.

That is what the Yankees have been missing.

Judge’s return also arrives without the conventional safety net of a Minor League rehab assignment.

Instead, New York gradually increased his baseball activity. Judge progressed through hitting work, running and defensive drills before returning to on-field batting practice during the Yankees’ West Coast trip.

On Monday, he faced live pitching at Yankee Stadium for the first time since suffering the injury.

Now comes the part that cannot be simulated.

Major League pitching.

Game speed.

Adrenaline.

Recovery between games.

The Yankees understand that activation does not automatically mean Judge is ready for a full workload every night. Manager Aaron Boone has acknowledged that New York could creatively manage his early games, including the possibility of playing Judge for five to seven innings before removing him.

That is important context.

The Yankees do not need Judge to prove everything Tuesday.

They need him healthy enough to begin building toward what they hope he can become later in September.

There is a difference.

After more than three months away, timing may take time.

Velocity will arrive differently in a game than it did during batting practice. Breaking pitches will be sharper. Pitchers will attack weaknesses immediately.

Judge knows all of that.

So does New York.

But even an imperfect Judge can alter how an opponent approaches the Yankees.

That is why this return matters so much.

New York enters this stretch at 81-62, four games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East and two games ahead of Boston.

There is enough time remaining to change those standings.

There is not enough time to waste many games.

Judge therefore returns to something much different from a comfortable September tune-up.

Every series matters.

Every loss becomes heavier.

Every opportunity to gain ground becomes more valuable.

And the Yankees have just added the most intimidating hitter on their roster back into that equation.

There will inevitably be temptation to judge the return immediately.

If Judge homers Tuesday, the comeback will be declared complete.

If he goes hitless, questions about timing will begin.

Neither reaction would be particularly useful.

The meaningful evaluation will require more than one night.

Can Judge handle consecutive games?

Does the power return?

Can he regain enough timing to become the centerpiece of the lineup again?

And, most importantly, can he remain healthy?

Those answers will determine whether this is simply a welcome September return or the beginning of something much larger.

For now, the Yankees finally have the development they have spent the summer waiting for.

Aaron Judge is active.

The captain is coming back to Yankee Stadium.

And with the postseason race entering its decisive weeks, No. 99 is returning at precisely the moment when New York needs its biggest presence most.