Yankees' Aaron Judge Took Batting Practice amid Injury, Expected to Return Tuesday
As the New York Yankees look for ways to pull out of their slide that began in June, Aaron Judge is close to making his return from the injured list.
Per Erik Boland of Newsday, Judge took batting practice on Sunday at the Yankees' minor league complex in Florida and the expectation is he will be back in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Texas Rangers.
The Yankees placed Judge on the 10-day IL on July 27 due to a flexor strain in his right elbow. Manager Aaron Boone said at the time the reigning AL MVP avoided serious damage to his UCL, but he will likely have to DH initially when he is activated.
"No acute injury to the UCL. Overall, that’s good news," Boone told reporters. "With those first few days coming off the IL, it’s probably DH mode. Then he’ll start throwing … and, hopefully, get back to the outfield shortly thereafter."
Judge suffered the injury in New York's 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on July 22 when he attempted to throw out Davis Schneider at home plate. He was able to play in the next two games before the elbow got to a point he needed to be shut down.
There was no suggestion when Judge went on the IL that he would be out for an extended period of time. The seven-time All-Star took on-field batting practice for the first time on Friday prior to the Yankees' series opener against the Miami Marlins.
The Yankees could use the boost that Judge provides their lineup right now. They have lost the first two games against the Marlins, with the bullpen imploding on Friday night and the offense being held in check in 2-0 defeat on Saturday.
Boone addressed the series of baserunning miscues and defensive mishaps that have plagued his team for weeks at this point following Saturday's loss.
"Don’t think, 'Oh yeah, it’s fine.' It’s not fine," Boone said. "It’s not fine. But (stuff) happens sometimes."
New York has been in freefall even before Judge got injured. The Bronx Bombers are 18-26 in 44 games since June 13, the second-worst record in the AL during that span (Minnesota Twins: 15-27).
The Yankees have dropped to third in the AL East, 0.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox in second place. They are 1.5 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners for the No. 2 wild card spot in the AL.
Judge is having another MVP-caliber season in 2025. He leads MLB in all three triple-slash categories (.342/.449/.711) and ranks second in the AL with 37 homers in 459 plate appearances.
