Aaron Judge is finally moving again, and for the Yankees that alone counts as progress.
After getting his fractured right rib scanned Tuesday, the Yankees captain was cleared for light activity and wasted no time testing it. By Wednesday, he was already running outdoors, a first step in a rehab that had shown no visible movement for more than two months.
“I just got the scan yesterday,” Judge told reporters before Wednesday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Yankee Stadium. “The minute they said 'Alright, we're going to start running,' I said 'OK, I'll see you outside.'”
Manager Aaron Boone said the work Judge is now allowed to do includes outdoor running and upper-body resistance work. That matters because Judge has not been cleared to swing a bat or throw, both of which would put stress on the rib. There is still no timetable for his return.
Judge knows the calendar is working against him.
“You are running out of days,” he said. “You've got 52 days, 53 days left. We've got to get back out there.”
Even so, he made it clear he expects to play again this season.
“I'll be back this season. I don't know why I wouldn't be.
That was always the plan,” Judge said. “I never had a thought of not playing this year.”
The key development is the upper-body clearance. Judge has a stress fracture in the first rib on his right side, and the injury had kept almost any load on his rib cage off limits.
General manager Brian Cashman said last month that Judge could not work his upper body at all without stressing the break. Boone had said the team was waiting for Judge to be asymptomatic before letting him resume activity.
Judge has been out since May 31. He believes the injury started with a diving catch in Houston on April 26, then he played through it for a month before his numbers slipped.
It is not unfamiliar territory for him. He also had a stress fracture in the same rib after a diving catch in 2019, played through the postseason, and then acknowledged it in spring training before COVID shut down the sport.
Even with the injury, Judge was producing at a huge level. He was hitting .248 with a .375 on-base percentage and a .533 slugging percentage, with 17 home runs in 59 games. The reigning American League MVP was also selected for his eighth All-Star team.
The Yankees have had to survive without him, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton. Bellinger is out with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and Stanton is sidelined by a right calf strain.
Still, New York has hung around in the AL race on pitching.
Before Judge went on the injured list, the Yankees were averaging 5.27 runs per game, which ranked fourth in baseball. Since then, that number has dropped to 3.98, the fifth fewest. Entering Wednesday, the Yankees were 63-50, 3.5 games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East and holding the top wild-card spot.
In Other News...
Yankees Suddenly Have A New Concern In Clarke Schmidts Return
Clarke Schmidts return from Tommy John surgery hit a small snag during a live batting practice session, when forearm cramping forced him to shut it down early. The right-hander is still deep in the comeback process, and the Yankees viewed the issue as minor, part of the normal checkpoints that come with building a pitcher back up after such a long layoff.
For now, the club does not plan to send Schmidt for imaging and will simply monitor how he feels over the next few days. It adds a little more attention to a rehab picture that already includes several other familiar names working toward their own returns, with Giancarlo Stanton, Cody Bellinger, Carlos Rodon and Aaron Judge all moving along on different timelines. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Prospect Roderick Arias Is Forcing A Bigger Infield Conversation
Roderick Arias rise through the Yankees farm system picked up another important step this week, with the organization making a round of minor league roster moves that also brought DJ Gladney back from the injured list. For Arias, the assignment reflects how much his performance has trended upward since a slow start, giving the Yankees another infield name to monitor as the season moves deeper into the summer.
The switch to a tougher stop is the kind of move that can start a larger conversation around a prospect, especially one whose bat has begun to look more like a player ready for the next challenge. Arias jump gives the Yankees a better read on where he stands against better competition, and it adds another layer to a system that is still sorting out which young infielders may be closest to helping down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Volpes Yankees Future Suddenly Feels Much Less Certain
A quiet deadline decision has started to look bigger in the Yankees infield picture. A Major League scout gave Brian Cashman credit for refusing to move George Lombard Jr., and the prospect made that choice feel even wiser by looking right at home in his major league debut and helping the Yankees to a win. At the same time, Anthony Volpes rough stretch has pushed the conversation in a different direction, with his standing in the organization suddenly seeming less secure than it did a few weeks ago.
Volpes path now appears headed toward a reset, and the tone around it has changed enough to make the next step feel meaningful. The scouts view was blunt, and the possibility is that Volpe could return in a different role after some time in the minors, where a chance to work through things might be better for everyone involved. For a player who arrived with real expectations, the bigger question is no longer just when he gets back, but what kind of Yankees infielder he becomes when he does. [Read more 🡒]