Watch Yankees' Aaron Judge Takes Live BP on Video After Boone's Comments on Injury Return Timeline

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge took a major step towards returning to action on Monday.

Judge, who has been out since late May with a rib injury, took live batting practice in New York.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters, "We'll see," when asked whether Judge could be available as soon as Tuesday. Judge was optimistic about his timeline over the weekend but didn't offer a specific return date.

Judge previously took practice swings on Friday, got some work in the outfield, and ran the bases last week as well.

While he now appears close to a return, it's taken him much longer than initially expected to return to action.

"I'm mad how long it has taken," Judge said on Friday. "It is what it is. I wish it was real two months ago, but we're at this point [now]. We're getting close. I can't wait to be back out there."

Luckily for Judge, New York has managed well for the most part despite being without its star. The Yankees are sitting in second place in the AL East at 81-62 and are 8.5 games ahead in the wild card race with just a few weeks left to play this season.

Judge was hitting .248 with 17 homers, 38 RBI, 43 runs and a .907 OPS across 59 games before his injury, so he'll be a welcome addition to the lineup once he's able to play.

The Yankees begin a series against the Colorado Rockies at home on Tuesday, and fans could see Judge back on the field at some point after he checked another box on Monday.