Aaron Judge Takes Big Step Toward Return From Injury
NEW YORK — On Sunday, Aaron Judge said he was ready to play despite being placed on the 10-day injured list. One day later, as expected, the slugger took a big step back toward his return by resuming baseball activity.
"He did some stuff in the cage and I know he did an active warmup and some light runs in the outfield," Yankees' manager Aaron Boone said after a 6-3 win. "Hit off the tee in soft toss and I think he got to [hit] off the machine a little bit."
Judge went on to take some hacks in batting practice on the field Tuesday afternoon. Boone said he'll be keeping a close eye on how Judge responds to a ramp up in baseball activity this week, but the hope is for him to be ready to return this weekend.
Judge was placed on the IL with a mild right calf sprain on Friday, traced back to the Bombers' weekend series in Tampa. Playing four games in a span of three days, pounding on the turf at Tropicana Field resulted in some lower body tightness.
As a precaution, to ensure the slugger's injury didn't develop into something that would require far more time on the sidelines, the club made the move.
"I’ve been healthy and feeling great. This is the best I’ve felt in a while," Judge said on Sunday, alluding to the fact that he would get back to swinging on Monday. "It’s more precautionary and probably best overall to miss one week than push through it and eventually miss three-to-four weeks."
READ: Yankees' Aaron Judge Feels '100 Percent' Despite Placement on IL
Despite Judge's frustration, to the point where he implored the Yankees' coaching staff to let him stay on the active roster, the right fielder will be on the shelf until this weekend at the earliest. His IL stint is retroactive to Wednesday—the first game he didn't play in this season after appearing in the club's first 17 contests—meaning Saturday could be when he rejoins the starting lineup.
Since he was placed on the IL, Judge has lost his lead in the MLB home-run race. If his hot start to the season is any indication, however, he's poised to pick up where he left off with his nine homers when he's back.
In Judge's place—as well as in the absence of an injured Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu—the Yankees' depth continues to carry this offense. New York has won six games in a row, capping off a four-game sweep of the Red Sox Monday night.
READ: Aroldis Chapman Returns to Bullpen as Yankees Get Good News on DJ LeMahieu's Sprained Thumb
"I think we did a lot of things well certainly in this series but going back since we've been home," Boone said. "We've gotten a lot of contributions from up and down the lineup. Again tonight and some really good pitching performances. Good way to kick off the home stand and we've got a big series coming now with Tampa."
As Boone explained, New York is due to host the Rays for three games in the Bronx beginning on Tuesday night. The rival Rays took three of four from the Yankees two weekends ago and are just two wins behind New York in the American League East.
Luke Voit, who crushed two home runs on Monday night, said last season's injuries prepared this roster to flourish this summer as stars miss time. He called New York's bench the deepest in all of baseball.
"I think most teams would have a tough time with guys coming up from their alternate sites and obviously we're hoping to get those guys back as soon as possible but we're so deep it's incredible," Voit said. "It's really impressive, I've never been on a team that has this much depth and guys have stepped in for big-time All-Star players and have done really well."
To keep up with all of Inside The Pinstripes’ coverage, click the "follow" button at the top right-hand corner of this page.
For more from Max Goodman, follow him on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. Follow ITP on Twitter @SI_Yankees and Facebook @SIYankees
