Yankees' Aaron Judge Participates in Live Batting Practice Amid Toe Injury Rehab

Aaron Judge's return to the diamond is inching closer.

The New York Yankees slugger took live batting practice against reliever Jonathan Loáisiga Sunday in Kansas City, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. This was his first at-bat against a live pitcher since June 3rd, when he went down with a toe injury after crashing into the wall at Dodger Stadium.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that no date has been set for Judge to start a rehab assignment in the minor leagues, but the main focus is just on getting him back into a rhythm.

"One of the biggest things is going to be building up that little bit of endurance, doing it for a couple of hours at a time," Boone said. "That's what we've got to get him to next."

While the team seems to be proceeding with caution, adding Judge's production back to the lineup will be huge if the Yankees hope to make a run for the postseason. Judge was hitting .291 with 19 home runs and 40 RBI's in the 49 games preceding the injury, and is coming off a season that saw him hit 62 home runs and take home the AL MVP award.

The Yankees entered Sunday with a respectable 52-47 record, but were tied for fourth place in the gauntlet AL East at 8.5 games behind the division-leading Baltimore Orioles. They were also 1.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot.

Despite missing nearly two months of action, Judge still leads the Yankees in home runs and is second in RBI. The Yankees are ranked 29th in the majors in batting average, and adding a power bat like Judge to the lineup could give them the next gear they need to make a run.