Judge Nears Return After Rib Injury | MLB News

0:00On September 5th, Aaron Judge is making serious progress in his recovery from a fractured rip he sustained back in April. He was seen taking batting practice on the field with his team for the first time since May 31st. He's been working his way back, starting with simple drills and gradually increasing the intensity. He's been hitting in the cage and doing velocity work, but the next big step is facing live pitching. Judge mentioned he'll need to do that at least a couple of times before he's ready to rejoin the lineup. He's hoping to be back for the Yankees upcoming home stand. Judge expressed his frustration with how long this has taken, saying he wishes he was back two months ago. He's eager to get back on the field and feels like he's getting close. He's been doing a lot of baseball activities, including running the bases and taking flyballs. He's made it clear he preferred to skip a minor league rehab assignment, feeling it would be a waste of at-bats. The manager hasn't made a final decision on that yet. Judge compared the layoff to an offseason, needing to build up his volume again.

1:01The Yankees are set to return home to face the Rockies on September 8th, followed by a series against the Metz on September 11th. That Metz game will also feature alumni from the 2001 Yankees team for pregame ceremonies. MLB News Today, powered by AI bringing you what matters on the diamond.