Aaron Judge took batting practice against live pitching Monday at Yankee Stadium, the clearest sign yet that the Yankees captain is nearing a return from the rib injury that has kept him out since the end of May.
The session came on an off day before New York opens a three-game homestand Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies. Manager Aaron Boone has described Judge as “close to the endgame of being ready to play.”
Asked whether activating the three-time AL MVP for Tuesday’s series opener would be unrealistic, Boone replied, “I don’t know. We’ll see.”
Judge has made no secret of his impatience.
“I wanted to be back June 1, but that didn’t happen,” he said. “I’ll leave it up to the manager when he wants to put me in there.”
He later added, “Hopefully soon.”
Judge last appeared in a game on May 31. He first felt the problem on an awkward diving play April 26 in Houston while trying to avoid colliding with a teammate. What began as a bone bruise was later diagnosed as a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side.
The Yankees were 36-23 when Judge went on the injured list. They were 45-38 without him entering the final days of their West Coast trip.
“We’ve had long stretches where the offense has struggled. I think a big part of that is not having your guy,” Boone said. “I also feel like that’s ticked up here in the last couple of weeks, where we’ve really started to play better offensively. We certainly look forward to getting our guy back.”
Catcher Ben Rice captured the mood in the clubhouse.
“It’s been a while,” Rice said. “We’re all as eager to have him back now as we were right when he went out. It’ll mean a lot to us.”
Judge has been adamant he does not want a traditional minor-league rehab assignment.
“I don’t see a point. Why waste at-bats? They haven’t told me they want me to do one, so we’ll see.”
Boone has discussed a more flexible plan once Judge is activated. The manager said one option on the table is playing him five, six or seven innings and then removing him. Another is giving him a full game followed by a day off so the rib can recover.
The Rockies, who own the worst record in the National League, give the Yankees a relatively soft landing if they choose to ease Judge back in the majors rather than send him to Double-A Somerset. A weekend series against the Mets follows immediately after.
Before the injury, Judge hit .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs in 59 games. For his career he is a .291 hitter with 385 home runs, 868 RBIs and three American League Most Valuable Player awards in 1,204 games.
New York sits four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East and holds a 2½-game lead over the Boston Red Sox for the top wild-card spot with just over three weeks left in the regular season.
Judge traveled with the club on its six-game trip through Anaheim and San Diego, taking on-field batting practice and watching every pitch from the dugout. He has also been running the bases, throwing from the outfield and facing velocity on pitching machines.
Cam Schlittler is scheduled to start Tuesday’s 7:05 p.m. game against Rockies right-hander Gabriel Hughes. Whether Judge’s name appears in the lineup that night remains the question the entire organization is waiting to answer.
