Aaron Judge (rib) could return from IL next week

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Judge won’t play the full game in his return from a three-month absence after skipping a minor league rehab assignment altogether. It certainly sounds like they’re going to strategically manage his workload following the extended layoff. He’s back in the heart of New York’s order, which is the most important thing for fantasy managers. He did the same thing in 2023 when he missed two months with a toe injury and proceeded to go 5-for-36 in his first nine games back. It may take a little bit for Judge to knock off the rust and get back to his usual self, but the Yankees did give him a soft landing spot against an abysmal Rockies pitching staff.

Start spreading the news. Judge is back. The 34-year-old generational talent returns for Tuesday’s series opener against the Rockies in New York following a three-month absence recovering from a rib fracture. His return should obviously have a massive impact for the Yankees, and fantasy managers as well, over the final three weeks of the regular season.

Judge was also seen running the bases today. He’s unlikely to be activated from his rib fracture this weekend, but a return next week back in New York is possible.

Judge kicked off a hitting progression earlier this month as he works his way back from a rib fracture that put him on the shelf back in early June. It’s unclear exactly how much time he’ll need to get back up to speed before returning to New York’s lineup, but he doesn’t appear to be very far away at this point. It’s purely speculation, but it seems fair to assume he’ll make it back at some point in early-to-mid September.

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.