Yankees' Aaron Judge Gives Injury Update, Latest Return Timeline After MLB All-Star Break
New York Yankees star Aaron Judge has not yet resumed baseball activities amid his recovery from the rib injury that has sidelined him since June 5, he told reporters including the New York Post's Jon Heyman Friday.
Judge said re-imaging of his injured rib showed "some progress" but the rib was not yet "fully healed," per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
"We're still waiting on one more doctor to take a look at it, kind of see how we progress forward the next couple weeks," Judge said, per Hoch. "But definitely a positive sign that we're seeing some healing."
When asked if he would return this season, Judge told Hoch: "Yeah, definitely. I don't see why I wouldn't."
Judge will need to undergo more rehabilitation and reimaging before he is cleared to resume baseball activities, according to the Yankees (h/t Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News).
The Yankees are waiting to speak with Dallas-based doctor Dr. Gregory Pearl as to when Judge will next undergo reimaging, per the club.
Judge previously said he suffered a right rib stress fracture related to a diving catch he attempted in late April, per ESPN's Jorge Castillo.
He said he first felt the injury after making the catch April 26, but continued to play through the pain until he was placed on IL retroactive to June 2, per Castillo.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said July 9 that Judge was expected to undergo reimaging of the injury during the All-Star break.
"I don't think we're anticipating it's coming back clean. I think we're anticipating and hopeful that it's showing the healing process," Cashman said before the scans, per Hoch.
Hoch reported at the time an August return "appears to be the best-case scenario" for Judge.
Judge, 34, was slashing .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI prior to his injury.
Despite injuries throughout the batting lineup and rotation, the Yankees have remained in contention for the top of the AL East with a 54-42 record that has the club 2.5 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays heading into this weekend's series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Yankees will hope to see their postseason hopes boosted by the return of players like Judge, Max Fried and Carlos Rodón over this back half of the season. Their recovery timelines could ultimately determine how the club approaches the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
