The New York Yankees are hoping to get Aaron Judge back at some point in September.
On Thursday, Judge took a significant step in his rehab by hitting off a tee, according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
This is a major development for Judge, who hasn’t been able to swing a bat since suffering a stress fracture in his first right rib, which landed him on the injured list on June 2.
Prior to hitting off the tee, Judge began playing catch, running and doing swing-related exercises in the pool. The 34-year-old recently told reporters that he fully expects to return this season. The only question is when that will occur.
With Judge out, the Yankees’ offense has been among the worst units in all of baseball in nearly every major statistical category. This prompted GM Brian Cashman to acquire first baseman/DH Luis Garcia Jr. and outfielder Heliot Ramos at the MLB trade deadline.
However, the Yankees have still struggled offensively since the deadline and so have their new acquisitions.
In addition to Judge, Cody Bellinger (hamstring) and Giancarlo Stanton (multiple calf strains) are also currently on the IL. They’re both expected to be back before Judge.
Bellinger is beginning a minor league rehab assignment on Thursday. If all goes well, Bellinger could rejoin the Yankees by this weekend.
Stanton recently finished his running program. There has been no timetable on his return and the Yankees have not said whether he will require a rehab assignment before coming back. Stanton has been out since the end of April.
The American League is considerably weak this year. If the Yankees can get Judge, Bellinger and Stanton back healthy for the stretch run then they will have a pretty decent chance at winning the AL pennant in October.
The Yankees enter play on Thursday with a 71-55 record and nine game lead in the top AL wild-card spot. They’re 3.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the No. 1 slot. New York is 4.5 games behind the struggling Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.
The Yankees will go for the sweep against the Baltimore Orioles tonight with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. ET.
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