Aaron Judge Cleared for Light Workouts, Says He Will Play Again This Season
The Yankees captain, out since May 31 with a stress fracture in his right rib, took the field at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday for stretching and jogging.
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge has been cleared to begin light workout activity, and the New York Yankees captain said he will return this season from the rib injury that has sidelined him since May 31.
The three-time American League Most Valuable Player was on the field at Yankee Stadium in baseball gear Wednesday afternoon, stretching, jogging and doing shuffle slides with a resistance band. He was given the green light to take a step forward in his recovery progression after undergoing his latest scan Tuesday.
Even so, it will be a while before Judge is back in the lineup. He must first advance to taking swings, and neither Judge nor Yankees manager Aaron Boone offered a target date for the slugger's return.
Judge is on the 60-day injured list with a stress fracture of his right rib. He is hitting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs this season, but had just one homer in his last 18 games before going on the injured list.
The cautious progression reflects the nature of the injury. A stress fracture in the rib cage is particularly sensitive to the rotational force of a baseball swing, which is why hitters are typically cleared for running and conditioning work well before they are allowed to pick up a bat.
Judge's public commitment to returning this season is the clearest signal yet from the Yankees' most important player about the timetable, though the absence of any date from the team leaves open how much of the schedule he might be available for.
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