Yankees Rumors: Aaron Judge Expected to Return from Toe Injury Friday vs. Orioles

The New York Yankees are expected to receive a significant boost to their lineup this week in the form of Aaron Judge.

Barring a setback, the reigning American League MVP is expected to return from a toe injury on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

It's been more than a month since Judge last suited up for the Pinstripes.

The 31-year-old suffered a sprain of the ligament in his right big toe in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 3 when he smacked his toe up against the concrete on the bottom of the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium while making a catch.

Judge has slowly been working his way back and actually wanted to return for the Yankees' Subway Series matchup against the New York Mets on Wednesday and Thursday but the team "wanted to be more cautious," according to Sherman.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters earlier this week that Judge is playing simulated games at the team's training complex in Tampa, Florida, and is considered day-to-day.

Judge won't be entirely pain-free when he returns to the lineup, though Boone said the team is hoping he can play in right field instead of serving as the club's designated hitter once he returns:

"He just started taking live at-bats. So yeah, we'll do whatever we have to do. But he's got to build up from kind of a workload standpoint of, you don't just go from taking batting practice or lifting weights or working out to going out and playing nine innings, whether it's DH or right field. But hoping and feeling that right field will be in play. So this is all just part of kind of building him up a little better."

Judge was having a solid 2023 campaign prior to suffering the ailment, slashing .291/.404/.674 with 19 home runs, 40 RBI and three stolen bases in 49 games.

The slugger's absence has been crushing for the Yankees in the race for the American League East crown. The club currently sits last in the division with a 54-48 record and is 2.5 games back of an AL wild card spot.

However, the Yankees have also endured the absences of Nestor Cortes, Frankie Montas, Jonathan Loáisiga, Lou Trivino, Jose Trevino and Josh Donaldson, which hasn't helped matters.

The Yankees still have some time to make up ground in the division, though they'll have to be nearly perfect to close out the regular season.