Aaron Judge (rib) ramps up hitting progression

The Yankees kick off their next homestand on September 8. Boone declined to put down a specific return date for Judge, who is ramping up baseball activities after spending the last nearly three months on the injured list with a rib fracture. It sounds like there’s a decent chance that Judge is ready to return at some point around mid-September. Obviously, the Yankee icon’s return would have a significant impact on their ability to contend in a pretty wide open American League heading into the postseason.

Judge remains without a definitive return timetable, but has been trending in the right direction over the last couple weeks. The 34-year-old fantasy superstar has been on the shelf with a rib fracture since early June. He’s likely going to need at least a couple additional weeks to ramp up a hitting progression, and get back up to game speed, before returning to New York’s lineup. There’s optimism that he’ll make it back for fantasy managers at some point in September.

It’s a start. Judge, who last took the field May 31 against the A’s, has yet to resume swinging a bat, so it’s safe to rule out an August return here.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Judge was given the green light after followup scans on his right ribs. It’s a significant step towards making it back to New York at some point in the final two months. The 34-year-old generational talent remains without a definitive return timeline and he’s likely to require several weeks to ramp-up from a physical standpoint following the lengthy layoff. Judge has been on the injured list with a stress fracture in his right ribs since early June. There should be a clearer idea of his next steps in the coming weeks.

There’s nothing new from an update standpoint except that Judge doesn’t appear poised to undergo followup imaging at any point soon. The 34-year-old generational talent has yet to be cleared to resume baseball activities as he recovers from a rib fracture that put him on the injured list back in early June. At this point, fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him back until some point in late August.

Specialist Dr. Gregory Pearl got back to the Yankees on Saturday and basically confirmed Friday’s news. “There’s healing going on, which is good, but he’s still not able to start any baseball activities or anything,” Boone told reporters. “He needs to get to a point where he’s asymptomatic, where you really start ramping up more upper-body stuff.” Boone did say that the good news was that the pain is starting to subside for Judge, and that it’s more of a dull pain than the sharp one that has bothered the slugger. Judge was moved to the 60-day injured list that won’t allow him to return until the beginning of August, but there’s a good chance he’s not back until closer to the start of September.

It’s merely a procedural move with Judge still recovering from a rib fracture that put him on the injured list back in early June. The 34-year-old generational talent underwent followup imaging earlier this week that showed continued healing, but hasn’t been cleared to resume baseball activities. There is no official timetable for his return and it looks like he won’t make it back to New York until at least mid-to-late August, even in a best-case scenario. There’s also a realistic chance his absence stretches into September. Simply put, fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him back anytime soon.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone reiterated on Friday that he believes Judge will return this season, but he remains without a definitive return timetable. The 34-year-old franchise icon told reporters that it’ll be a couple weeks before he undergoes re-imaging to determine his next steps. He remains limited to lower-body work and neck exercises, with no upper-body or overhead lifting at this juncture. He’s been on the shelf with a rib fracture since early June. It’s pure speculation at this point, but even in a best-case scenario, Judge appears unlikely to return before the middle or end of August. There’s also a realistic chance his absence stretches into September. Fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him back anytime soon.

“I don’t think we’re anticipating it’s coming back clean,” Cashman said. “I think we’re anticipating and hopeful that it’s showing the healing process.” This broadly keeps the expected timeline in line. Judge hasn’t begun baseball activities yet and figures to need some time to ramp up. Assuming the imaging comes back well enough for him to begin activities, Judge is probably on pace for a late July or early August return.

Boone added that Judge, who was initially expected to miss 4–6 weeks with a fractured rib in early June, is beginning to feel better but still hasn’t resumed baseball activities. The 34-year-old will need a couple weeks to ramp up, making a return to New York unlikely until late July or early August. There should be a clearer idea of his return timeline and next steps in a couple weeks.