DENVER — Before the Yankees opened the second half of the season on Friday night, they welcomed an encouraging sight at Coors Field.
Aaron Judge took early batting practice on Friday afternoon and then did some running and agility drills in the outfield. Judge has been running this week, but Friday marked the first time he has hit on the field, a key sign of progress for the reigning AL MVP, who has been out since June 3 with a torn ligament in his right big toe.
“I didn’t feel like I was limited at all,” Judge said. “We’re slowly progressing to where we need to be. Now, it’s just about getting reps and, maybe, the endurance and stamina. Being off it for five weeks is tough.”
Before the All-Star break, Judge had advanced to hitting off a tee and hard tosses in the indoor cage and running on an anti-gravity treadmill.
He called the on-field batting practice “just another step,” adding that the real test will come when he gets to be on the field for games, which he will presumably do on a rehab assignment at some point in the future.
Still, Judge and manager Aaron Boone declined to put a timetable on when that might happen or when he could return to action with the Yankees.
“If you’re asking how I’m feeling and how we’re progressing, we’re progressing well,” Judge said. “We’re getting close.”
Asked whether he felt any pain while swinging (his right foot is important for generating force and power in the box), Judge seemed to indicate he felt something, but not pain.
“I really wouldn’t say pain,” he said. “I’d say we’re getting better every single day. It’s not healed, so obviously it is what it is, but we’re progressing every single day.”
Judge was not running at full speed on Friday, but he was doing more than just jogging.
He appeared to be trying to test the toe during some of his agility drills, which he did while wearing spikes that now include some insoles to help relieve any discomfort.
“Some orthotics to help me with that end range,” Judge said. “It kind of gives me a little support and spring.”
Judge got a pair of platelet-rich plasma injections in the weeks after he crashed into the concrete ledge of the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium.
He said he has not received a cortisone shot to help speed up the process and does not have any planned.
“I’d go that route if I start to plateau a little bit,” he said. “But every single day, we’re getting better. Every single day, we’re getting closer. So I haven’t seen a need yet.”
Last month in Oakland, when Judge played catch for the first time, Boone said his return would begin to seem imminent once he started hitting and really testing the toe.
Friday marked another step in that direction.
“I’ve been encouraged by what we’ve been seeing the last week or so from a hitting standpoint,” Boone said. “So that’s been really good. I think it’s going to be more getting to that next level of really being able to let it loose running. He’s run this week already. But where you’re able to stop and start and cut and do those kinds of things. The hitting’s gone really well.”
Judge opted not to go to Seattle this week for the All-Star festivities, instead staying back in The Bronx so he could continue to receive treatment and advance in his rehab.
The Yankees sorely need Judge back, but also need to make sure he is not overly limited by the toe once he does return.
Asked if Judge could be back by the end of July, Boone said, “Sure, I think there’s a shot,” but it remains a wait-and-see process as Judge takes on more activities.
“He’s going to push,” Boone said. “But he’ll know when he’s ready. And we’ll know.”
