Judge calls returns of Severino, Betances 'our trade deadline'

The New York Yankees were quiet at the July 31 trade deadline despite being baseball's most injured team. Now, with Dellin Betances back in the bullpen and Luis Severino returning Tuesday, patience may be paying off.

Outfielder Aaron Judge - who also spent time on the IL this year - certainly thinks so.

"We didn’t make any trades at the deadline, well, here's our trade deadline," Judge said, according to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. "We picked up a couple of great arms. Just excited to see them down the road and into the postseason."

Betances struck out both batters he faced Sunday in his season debut. Severino will make his first start of the campaign against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

The starting rotation has been the Yankees' biggest weakness all season. As a unit, it's cobbled together a 4.61 ERA, good for 16th best in the majors. The bullpen has been better, but its 4.11 ERA pales in comparison to its previous dominance. Yankees relievers collectively owned a 3.36 ERA and 11.17 K/9 - both MLB bests - from 2017-18.

"We're getting back one of the best pitchers in the league. Like I said, that's our trade deadline right there," Judge said. "Having an ace like that. A big bullpen arm. ... We're getting excited over here having those guys coming back."

Outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is also nearing a return in time for the playoffs.