Aaron Judge playing catch normally wouldn’t be a big deal, just a routine part of a baseball player’s day.
But Judge hasn’t been able to be a baseball player since he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his ribs in early June. One month ago, an imaging exam showed that some healing was occurring but not enough for the three-time American League MVP to resume baseball activities.
However, Judge took a step closer to returning to the New York Yankees lineup on Friday. when he played catch for the first time in months. He also ran, another activity he hasn’t been able to do since his injury was diagnosed.
Does that mean Judge will be able to return before the end of the regular season with 39 games and six weeks remaining on the schedule? Yankees manager Aaron Boone wasn’t willing to answer that affirmatively, but was optimistic that the team’s captain would still be able to return this season.
“We expect him back, but we’re in the early stages of baseball activities, so hopefully things continue to go well,” Boone said, via MLB.com. “He hasn’t done any baseball things in a while, so there’s a lot more to do.”
Prior to going on the injured list, Judge compiled a slash average of .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI in 59 games.
Without him in the lineup, the Yankees’ offense has expectedly suffered. Before Judge went on the IL, they scored 305 runs, ranking fourth in MLB. Since he was sidelined, the Yankees have scored 241 runs. With 547 total runs, the Yankees rank 15th in MLB. But their .230 team batting average is second-worst in the AL and their .716 OPS is tied for 16th.
The Yankees have gone 32-31 in Judge’s absence and slid from 1.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East to seven games back after Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. However, New York still has an eight-game lead for the league’s top wild-card playoff spot.
Judge wasn’t the only injured Yankees player to show signs of progress in their recovery on Friday.
Giancarlo Stanton, out with a calf injury, also ran the bases and hit at the plate. And Cody Bellinger, sidelined with a strained hamstring, ran sprints in the outfield, according to The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty. The Yankees’ left fielder could begin a minor-league rehab assignment this coming week if he doesn’t feel any lingering discomfort.