Aaron Judge’s ahead-of-schedule return puts the Yankees back in the World Series conversation
Aaron Judge is nearing his return, and the Yankees could soon get their biggest offensive weapon back.
The New York Yankees began a week-long West Coast road trip on Monday with Aaron Judge traveling with the team, a positive sign in his recovery process and not just an opportunity for the captain to return to his home state.
If his progress continues in the right direction and he is able to increase his workload over the next few days, Judge could return to the Yankees’ lineup during their next homestand, scheduled for September 8-13 , manager Aaron Boone acknowledged.
“I’m not going to put a date on it, but I think those things are in play now,” Boone said before opening a series at Angel Stadium . “It’s about getting the durability and the workload built up on him, which is the biggest thing now.”
Judge was in right field during Monday’s batting practice session, taking part in defensive drills. The two-time American League MVP has been hitting indoors over the past week, still without facing high-velocity pitches, but he has responded well in his recovery from a right rib stress fracture that has kept him sidelined since late May.
The Yankees slugger hopes to avoid a minor league rehab assignment and make up for that step by facing live pitching with the Trajekt machine , a device that replicates the pitches of Major League pitchers.
“He’s doing well,” Boone said. “He’s here to continue to ramp up baseball activities. We’re getting closer, but we feel good about where he’s at.”
Judge’s return would provide a major boost for a Yankees team looking to regain consistency during the final stretch of the season and enter the playoff race with one of its biggest stars back in the lineup.
