Yankees' Aaron Judge Says Elbow 'Felt Good' After Throwing for 1st Time Since Injury

Aaron Judge was back in the lineup Tuesday for the first time since July 25, and he took another step toward a full return Wednesday.

The New York Yankees star began a throwing program by playing catch with Giancarlo Stanton from approximately 60 feet away. Judge is recovering from a right flexor strain and said things went well.

"Felt good. Normal throwing," he said, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post. "It's obviously sore. You got a flexor strain, it's like [hamstring]—you run for the first time on a hammy, it's going to be sore. But it didn't feel like what it did when I hurt it."

Judge spent the minimum 10 days on the injured list, but him being at designated hitter instead of in right field has a ripple effect through the lineup because Giancarlo Stanton was on the bench Tuesday.

When Judge completes the throwing program and is ready to return to the field, Stanton can slide back into the designated hitter role.

"We need all the big boys in the lineup," Judge said when explaining why he wants to get back into right field sooner rather than later. Still, he also acknowledged he will be "smart" about his approach and make sure he clears all the steps in the throwing program.

The slugger's return didn't matter in Tuesday's contest, as the Texas Rangers defeated the Yankees 2-0. Judge went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts as the team's overall struggles continued.

New York has lost five in a row and sits in third place in the American League East. It is 6.5 games behind the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays and 3.5 games behind the second-place Boston Red Sox.

It is also just a half-game ahead of the Rangers for the final AL wild-card spot, so the head-to-head loss was particularly costly. 

Getting Judge back is monumental for the Yankees' chances at reaching the playoffs and challenging for the division, as the two-time AL MVP and four-time Silver Slugger is arguably the top hitter in the game and makes everyone else better because opposing pitchers are so weary about his presence in the lineup.

He is slashing .339/.446/.705 with 37 home runs and 85 RBI through 104 games and is once again on the short list of MVP candidates.

For now, though, he is just focused on returning to the field and helping his team bounce back from its recent struggles.