Aaron Judge took another step forward in his recovery Friday, playing catch and running at Yankee Stadium as he works his way back from the broken right rib that’s kept him out since May 31.
The Yankees still aren’t putting a timeline on when their captain returns, but manager Aaron Boone called it progress in Judge’s gradual ramp-up to baseball activities.
“Just part of the ramp-up to baseball activity. Hopefully he’ll continue to progress through this week. We’ll see what else gets introduced.”
That’s what Boone told reporters before Saturday’s game against Toronto. It was Judge’s first time throwing since getting cleared for light workouts on August 5.
The three-time AL MVP has maintained he’s coming back this season, which gives the Yankees hope they’ll have their biggest offensive piece for the stretch run. Boone said he talked with Judge after Friday’s workout and got positive feedback.
But they’re not rushing anything.
“We expect him back, but we’re in the early stages of baseball activity,” Boone said. “Hopefully things continue to go well.”
Judge was hitting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs when he went down, along with a .907 OPS. His production had dipped in the weeks before the injury – he’d managed just one homer over his final 18 games.
Even with those struggles, getting Judge back healthy would be huge for New York’s lineup. The way I see it, Friday’s session doesn’t mean he’s close to returning, but it’s another encouraging checkpoint.
The Yankees will keep gradually increasing his workload while watching how the rib responds. From where they’re sitting, it’s about taking it one step at a time until their captain is ready to rejoin the lineup.
