Aaron Judge’s path back to the Yankees is starting to look a lot clearer.
The New York captain has begun running in right field, is throwing from more than 100 feet and has moved on to batting practice in the indoor cage as he continues to recover from the stress fracture of the first rib on his right side. Judge has been out since May 31, but the latest signs point to real progress.
Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media said Judge will "need another two weeks before he’s re-activated." If that holds, Judge could be lined up to return for the Yankees’ home game against the New York Mets on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Chris Towers of CBS Sports suggested the comeback could come even faster than some expect. "I do think his return could come quicker than you might think," Towers wrote about Judge.
"Given Judge's experience and stature - not to mention the limited remaining minor-league schedule - there's a pretty good chance the Yankees opt to let him skip a minor-league rehab assignment. ... I suspect we'll see something like that this time around, where Judge returns as soon as he is cleared to hit, but likely spends a decent amount of time in the DH spot until he is fully ready.
What does the timetable look like there? I can't say, but I would guess he's back within the next two weeks, given that he's doing batting practice by now."
Judge’s absence has stretched across a Yankees stretch that has shifted around him. The club was 36-23 the day he last played in an MLB game. After Tuesday’s 9-7 loss to the Houston Astros, New York stood at 74-57.
The Yankees entered Wednesday trailing the first-place Tampa Bay Rays, who were 78-54, in the American League East. They were also trying to hold off the 73-59 Boston Red Sox, who were closing in on the No. 1 wild-card spot in the AL.
The regular season ends for the Yankees with a home game against the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 27. If Judge does come back in roughly two weeks, that would leave him about two weeks of game action to get his body ready for October.
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