Aaron Judge Expected to Return from Rib Injury, Yankees' Aaron Boone Provides New Update

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is unsure when Aaron Judge will return from a broken rib, but he does expect the star slugger back at some point this year.

Boone told reporters Saturday that Judge is able to play catch, a positive development in his recovery. Still, the process is ongoing.

"Just part of the ramp-up to baseball activity," Boone said. "Hopefully he'll continue to progress through this week. We'll see what else gets introduced. ... We expect him back, but we're in the early stages of baseball activity."

Judge hasn't played since New York's 13-8 win over the Athletics on May 31. Tests showed a stress fracture to one of his ribs, and the Yankees estimated he'd be out a minimum of four to six weeks. He'd require further imaging to better understand his return timeline.

It's now mid-August and the situation remains fluid.

Before landing on the injured list, Judge was having a somewhat down year by his usual standards. He had a .248/.375/.533 slash line along with 17 home runs and 38 RBI in 59 games. The three-time MVP set a blistering pace in April before cooling off in May.

The Bronx Bombers, who were without Giancarlo Stanton before Judge got hurt, have watched Cody Bellinger pick up a hamstring strain that put him on the IL in late July. They acquired Heliot Ramos ahead of the trade deadline to provide some pop in the outfield, but he has gone just 2-for-28 since arriving.

New York trails the first-place Tampa Bay Rays by 6.5 games in the American League East but has an eight-game cushion in the wild-card race.

The team's performance has tailed off in conjunction with Judge's injury. While it's encouraging he's progressing in his rehab, the continued uncertainty around when he'll play again is concerning.